Gundam SEED Legacy of a Soldier
by sephiroth12285
Summary: MGSGS crossover, takes place before the events of GS with a new hero,The Legacy of one of the worlds greatest soldiers is renewed once again in a new era with a new inheritor the codename Snake, but with it comes the curse of repeating history.
1. Chapter 1 Initiation

A/N: This is a kind of story I have wanted to do for a while, this was meant to be incorporated into Sins of the Father, but after I was already more than a couple chapters along I decided to take what ideas I had and use them in this fic. I never did a Metal Gear Solid Crossover, although I attempted one in the past, but it didn't work out. I am hoping I can pull it off this time. Doing a fic based on Metal Gear Solid while doing it during the Gundam SEED era and universe won't be easy, but I hope good reviews and positive and helpful input will make this story enjoyable and possible. You guys may notice from stuff from MGS 3 and MGS 2, but know that it was intentional for my story's plot. I won't explain why, it will spoil the story, but read my story carefully and you'll figure it out. If you have any questions please email me or leave them in my forum post here on Thank you.

Chapter 1

Initiation

It was December 8, Cosmic Era 70; somewhere in the skies above a jungle existing in South America, Columbia; 5: 30 AM. In the skies above the dense jungles, a four engine stealth plane designed for high altitude flights. Similar to design to a stealth bomber, this aircraft was large and shared some design similarities to an old Combat Talon, but heavily redesigned for long flights, stealth operations and the new era it was constructed in. Inside the cockpit, the pilot and the co-pilot were operating the pilot as they began chattering with one another and those in the command bridge right behind them.

"Flying over Columbia, altitude 30,000 feet, twenty minutes to drop-off commencing internal depressurization." The pilot spoke as inside the command bridge a pair of Orb Union soldiers were examining and looking over data on their computer consoles as a man wearing an Orb Union uniform of a Colonel was standing behind them.

He appeared to be in his late fifties with black hair, styled to a typical box cut with some graying hairs on the sides of his head. His face was rough and slightly wrinkled with age, and carried a few small scars on his right cheek. His blue eyes focused on the screen in front of him showing an individual sitting in the cargo hold wearing a specially designed black and gray sneaking suit. He had a supply belt on with a parachute on his back with oxygen mask and heater strapped on his chest.

The man sitting down had long blonde hair with blue lucid eyes, he seemed very young to be involved in a HALO jump, but the second man in the cargo hold with him was wearing a full body flight suit with a helmet and oxygen mask. "Equipment check... arm main parachute." The pilot said over an overhead speaker.

The Colonel picked up a radio headset and spoke into it "All right. You ready to go?"

"Drop zone still showing a high pressure mass, CAVOK" The pilot noted.

"Good, we've got high visibility." The Colonel commented.

Inside the cargo hold, the plane crew member took a hose from his waist that linked to oxygen supply while hooking a rope to the wall he was standing by with the cargo door controls a short reach away. "Connecting oxygen hose to interior connector; put on your mask." The crew member asked the man sitting down on the bench, but he didn't move a muscle. "Does this wet-behind-the-ears rookie know what he's doing?"

"He said put on your mask." The Colonel ordered the man sitting in the cargo hold speaking through the intercom as he did as the Colonel ordered. He picked up the oxygen mask and slipped it over his head.

"Depressurization complete, checking oxygen supply. Six minutes to drop-off. Opening rear hatch" The crew member announced as he pulled down on a lever to open the cargo bay doors. "Its sunrise" A few moments later the pilot made an announcement on the overhead intercom speakers.

"External temperature minus 44 degrees Celsius, Two minutes to drop-off. Stand up." The man stood up and made his way towards the edge of the open cargo door.

"You'll be falling at 130 miles per hour. Try not to get frostbite from the wind chill." The Colonel warned.

"One minute to drop-off. Move to the rear. Activate bailout bottle, prepare for HALO jump." The pilot announced as the man moved into position. "Ten seconds to drop-off. Standby...status OK, all green. Prepare for drop-off, Countdown, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

"Spread your wings and fly! God be with you!" The man leapt out of the hatch and began plummeting to the ground below.


	2. Chapter 2 Operation begin

Chapter 2

Operation begin

As the man fell rapidly through the air towards the ground below, a memory of his mission briefing that occurred about a week ago. The Colonel was standing near a metal desk inside a small office located elsewhere on Earth while the man who had just leapt from the plane was sitting on a chair near a wall wearing an Orb Union uniform with the rank of Ensign on it.

"Andrius, I've got some important news. The head of the Orb Intelligence has finally given us the green light for the Virtuous mission." The Colonel explained.

"Virtual mission?"

"No, the Virtuous mission, the future of our FOXHOUND unit depends on it. If it succeeds, we'll be officially organized into a unit."

"Virtuous mission? Sounds like some kind initiation ritual." Andrius commented as he brushed some of his long navy-blue hair away from his right eye.

"Don't get cocky. This isn't a training an op."

"Right, so what exactly is this wonderful mission?"

"Tell me Andrius have you heard of Professor Randolph Emmerich?"

"The scientist who specializes in advance automatic robotics, next generation quantum computer science, and the foremost expert on Nanotechnology and a pioneering expert on cybernetic bionics technology."

"That's right, as you know Professor Emmerich is THE foremost expert on weapon's development and new technologies in the Atlantic Federation at his personal Research Facility located in Nevada, its rumored he gained the facility as a gift after assisting with the development of new technologies for another secret project the Federation is conducting at an unknown location. However about seven months ago he requested asylum in Orb through one of our moles."

"Quite a success story, the guy had his own personal research facility so why would he want to leave?"

"That didn't seem to be the case. It seemed he had become afraid of his own creations."

"Afraid?"

"Call it a crisis of conscience."

"So for that he left his family behind and fled the country."

"No, part of the agreement was that his family would be moved out of the country first. That was easy enough, but moving Professor Emmerich was a different story. I had taken part in the operation that smuggled the professor out of the country, but the Atlantic Federation didn't want him to leave. We had some close calls, but I managed to get him out on fishing boat after making our way across the country from Nevada. Once we were clear we went to Orb."

"Then what happened?"

"Well the whole ordeal was exhausting, but by the time we reached Orb we had a problem on our hands. It seems that Blue Cosmos terrorists were bombing civilian populated areas under the claim that they were attacking coordinator gathering areas, but we soon figured out their true intent when we were contacted by the Atlantic Federation through an ambassador informing us that unless we returned Emmerich to them the attacks would continue according to a supposed communication from the Blue Cosmos leadership. It grew worst when attacks were made on the family members of the council, and eventually we were forced to give into their demands." The Colonel replied sadly.

"You handed Emmerich over to the Atlantic Federation."

"Yes, but before we handed him over, we did learn a few things about a couple of secret projects he had been working on. He told us of something of potential danger to not only the PLANTs, but could be of danger to our country as well."

"What the hell was he building that would have the Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos so desperate to want him back?"

"A weapon called a Metal Gear."

"Metal Gear?"

"Yes, about more than a hundred years ago the world saw the rise of a mythical weapon of the worst kind imaginable back then. It gave rise to a new form of warfare. Metal Gear is a Bipedal nuclear-capable vehicle built as a walking tank able to fire nuclear weapons from any terrain. One of its last known incarnations was built with a powerful railgun that can deliver undetectable nuclear warheads to anywhere in the world."

"Why wasn't the technology still in use today?"

"I don't quite know the details, but apparently following events regarding an incident in the Middle East involving a faction calling itself Outer Heaven. All technology associated with Metal Gear or other technologies I supposed were considered to be too dangerous to be allowed to exist somehow mysteriously vanished. No one knows how it happened, but no news or rumors of any more Metal Gear variants ever appeared again. However, it seems that the Atlantic Federation is on the verge of reviving the technology. Emmerich told me that they had discovered something that might clue them in on what happened to the missing technology or provide them with a blueprint to revive it. He was going to be moved to a base in South America to assist in the effort, but Emmerich revealed that he had no wish to revive the Metal Gear technology."

"Why?"

"It seems his great grand parent had a hand in Metal Gear development projects that had left a bad impression on his family. I never quite understood it, but he was hell-bent on not helping the Atlantic Federation with that project."

"So something about it must have shaken up him, but I can't see a Metal Gear being useful since N-Jammers scattered world wide render nuclear missiles useless."

"True, but I think it's the fact they want to produce mobile suits that can perform on par with ZAFT's own machines. But whatever the reason, we need to get Emmerich out of there."

"I see, so my objective is to infiltrate the facility and rescue Professor Emmerich." Andrius asked as he looked up at the Colonel.

"Right, and if there is some kind of Metal Gear or weapon that could threaten our country then we want it destroyed, but if there is any data that could be useful to us then I want it recovered if possible. However the safe recovery of Professor Emmerich is your top priority."

Returning to the present, Andrius was falling rapidly towards the ground as the Colonel was speaking to him by means of a codec using nanomachines inside his body. "Alright Andrius, remember you mission objective is to infiltrate the facility and rescue Emmerich. Once you have him, safely escort him to the recovery point. A recovery balloon will be dropped at that point. Helium will be pumped into the balloon to inflate it. The process takes about 20 minutes. Once it's complete, the stealth's transport arm will latch onto the balloon and pull it up.

"The Fulton Surface-to-Air Recovery System?"

"That's right, and once you're secured we'll pull you up into the ship."

"Do you think Emmerich will be up to it?"

"The shock will be less than during a parachute jump. And the arm can handle up to 500 pounds. It will be deployed from below the plane so bringing you aboard will be a little easier."

"Good to hear."

"Keep in mind that even with the fuel in the reserve tank; we're facing a 4-hour time limit. If all goes well, it shouldn't take more than a few hours."

"I'll need only two; we'll be home in time for dinner."

"But if anything goes wrong, you'll be eating dinner, breakfast, and all the rest of your meals in the jungle."

Andrius was drawing closer to the ground as he pulled the cord on and his parachute unfurled from his backpack slowing his descent as he maneuver his way towards the ground below. After he passed through the canopy he detached his parachute the second it was caught in the trees. He dropped to the ground leaving his parachute trapped in the trees above. He landed with one knee on the ground knelling with both hands on the ground when he used them to catch himself before accidentally smacking his face into the dirt.

A moment later he looked up just before he rose up to his feet and proceeded to remove the rest of his parachute equipment. Once he was finished he pulled off the mask he had worn on his HALO jump down letting his blonde hair flow freely in the wind as his blue eyes looked up into the jungle canopy.

After taking a breaths to enjoy the jungle air he hurried over to a tree where he knelt down placing one hand on the back of his left ear while activating his codec through his body's internal nanomachines. In moments, nanocommunications were established with the Colonel as Andrius asked.

"Colonel I have landed at the drop-off point in one piece, no problems yet."

"Good work, but remember you're already in Atlantic Federation territory where it's military doesn't look kindly on coordinator infiltrators, so just in case somebody might be listening in. From here on out, we'll be using codenames to refer to each other. Your codename for this mission will be Solidus Snake. I'll be referring to you as Snake from now on. You are not to mention your real name."

"Snake?"

"You don't like snakes?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've eaten on before, haven't you?"

"In survival training and during that training mission in Asia a few months back."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"But I doubt I would recommend having one at a restaurant."

"Be careful, you might not have a choice."

"What about you, Colonel? What should I call you?"

"Hmm, let's see...I'll be...I'll be Colonel Sliver."

"Colonel Sliver got it." Andrius replied, but before he could end the communication between them. The Colonel brought up another matter he needed to tend to.

"Now before you end communications we need to discuss a few matters."

"Go ahead."

"As you already know this will be a sneaking mission. You must not be seen by the enemy understand? You must leave no trace of your presence. Is that clear? This kind of infiltration is the FOXHOUND unit's specialty. In other words, weapons and equipment must be procured on-site, that includes food as well."

"Great. Now I see why you asked me if I like snakes. I suppose calling me snake was your idea of a joke, too?"

"Actually to tell you the truth there was another reason behind it, but I'll tell you later."

"Gotcha, so anything else you want to remind me of?"

"Well we have armed you with an old Mk22 Hush Puppy tranquilizer gun equipped with a suppressor and a survival knife you can use for hunting for close range combat with the enemy. If you want to utilize other weapons then you have to find them and acquire them on your own."

"I have to find my own weapons and equipment? Whose crazy idea was this anyway?"

"Solo covert actions are standard FOXHOUND operating procedure. You can't leave any traces of your presence. No weapons, equipment, footprints, sweat, or bodily fluids - the same goes for bullets and cartridges, too. Your unauthorized presence in Atlantic Federation territory is already a violation of the treaty between our countries. There aren't supposed to be any soldiers from our government in their country. If you were discovered and captured it could spark an international incident. You can't let them see you. You can't let them know you're there. This is a stealth mission. You're a ghost, Snake, in every sense of the word. There'll be no rescue if you're captured. The military and the Orb Union government will deny any involvement in the affair."

"Then I'll just have to take care of myself?"

"I'm afraid so. You've been given a fake death pill for that purpose. As you know that it's common procedure for soldiers on covert ops like this one to be issued a potassium cyanide capsule in the event soldiers on the mission get captured. Tape it to your body so you can take it when you need to."

"That was very generous of you by the way." Andrius spoke sarcastically.

"Use it if you're taken prisoner by the enemy. It'll send you into a state of false death for a short time."

"Fooling them into thinking I'm really dead. So how do I come back to life again?"

"Just take the revival pill."

"You mean that thing they put in my tooth before the mission?"

"That's the one. But be careful. If you remain in a state of false death for too long, nothing will be able to bring you back. Remember that."

"I'll keep it in mind. You said this was a solo mission, right? No reinforcements."

"Correct. The mission rests entirely in your hands."

"So I am supposed to be a real one-man army then." Snake mused.

"Relax, there's a support team ready to back you up over the codec."

"Who are they?"

"I'll introduce them to you. This time, survival is of the utmost importance. The first member of the support team will be in charge of monitoring your physical condition, acting a medic, so to speak, as well as acting as the mission analyst. She's a member of FOXHOUND as well and she's here on the transport ship with me."

"She?"

A young woman in her early twenties was seen up inside the plane's command center as she began speaking to Snake on the Codec. She wore an Orb Union uniform as well with her long black hair tied into a long ponytail. Her blue eyes were focused onto the screen displaying Snake's vital signs. "Hello, Snake. I'm…called Nana."

"Nana?"

"It's a way of calling myself a nanny, because I have a feeling I may end up nagging at you very often on his mission especially if you are like all of the other macho soldiers I have worked with in the past."

"I can assure you I am different, but aren't you going to tell me your real name?"

"Are you going to tell me yours, Mr. Snake?"

"My name is John Doe." Andrius answered with a grin.

"That isn't your name."

"A name means nothing on the battlefield. After a week, no one has a name. What's your name?"

"Jane Doe." Nana answered with a chuckle.

"Very funny."

"I wasn't joking but I'll tell you my name only if you manage to make it back alive. My frequency is already recorded in the codec's memory so contact me if you need anything."

"Good to know."

Colonel Sliver rejoined the conversation as he began. "Now that introductions have been taken care of, let's get back to the mission. Your mission is to retrieve Dr. Emmerich. Dr. Emmerich is being held in a facility located to the north of your current position. Avoid heavy combat and don't let anyone see you. Don't forget that this is a stealth mission."

"Understood"

"Oh, and Snake"

"Yeah?"

"The crew isn't watching anymore. You can take off the disguise now."

"Good idea. This isn't right, time for the snake to shed his skin. I'll contact you later when I arrive at the facility."

"Roger that."

After ending the codec transmission, Andrius used one hand to grab onto the base of his mask at the bottom of his neck. He easily pulled it off revealing his real face. The eyes were the same, but his hair was navy-blue instead of blonde as it hung down almost touching the bottom of his neck. His face was youthful, perhaps as a sign that he was still in his teenage years. He rose from his knelt position and drew both his gun and knife as he assumed a Close Quarters Combat stance.

"Commencing Virtuous mission...now" Andrius said to himself before proceeding north towards the military facility.

A/N: I named the nurse of the support group Nana as pun for Nanny after recalling Snake referring to Mei Ling as the chattering nanny in MGS 2.


	3. Chapter 3 For a Blue and Pure World

Chapter 3

For a Blue and Pure World

Solidus Snake continued his march through the jungle as he was careful and watched where he stepped through. He knew the trek in the jungle wouldn't be easy, but if he maintained a good pace then perhaps he would reach the facility within thirty minutes taking into account that he didn't encounter any snags. He trail blazed his through the thick under brush, as he was alert to his surroundings.

The sound of the numerous animals and other forms of wildlife around him, living out their existence in the jungle following their natural instincts to survive, echoed around him as he passed by a large tree. He eyed a near by stream where he saw a crocodile catch an unfortunate small animal in its jaws before promptly devouring it. He continued his way through the jungle's hazardous paths.

Minutes passed right before he caught sight of a small clearing, and standing by a tree just ahead of it. Andrius spotted a man dressed in Battle Dress Uniform with a jungle camouflage ideal for the environment he was treading around in. He brought out a pair of Nikos G900 digital high-end military model binoculars with auto-focus and zoom features from his equipment belt. He used it to get a closer look at the enemy sentry, from his position he eyed his equipment and the weapons he was armed with.

Once he finished his inspection of enemy sentry he took cover behind the nearest tree and contacted Colonel Sliver via Codec. "Colonel Sliver, this is Snake I have spotted an enemy sentry. He is armed with a M4 assault rifle, three Grenades can't tell what type, but I think I saw a pair of Neutralizing Gas ABC M25C5 grenades on the back of his belt, and lastly he has a 45-caliber Offensive Socom Pistol as a sidearm. Aside from a jungle environment BDU he is wearing, but he is also wearing Silent Partner Special Body Armor. The rest he is carrying is your typical standard equipment for an Alliance grunt."

"Then the base must be near by. Be careful Snake, if Professor Emmerich was right about what they were going to be conducting at that base then except security to be tight. I doubt that grunt you are looking at is alone."

"Right, there are probably a few more in the area. They are probably making it appear there is only one of them while the others are close by watching the other's back."

"That would be an ideal tactic for jungle sentry duty. Snake, I want you to sneak by the sentries, don't let them see you."

"Roger…I'll head to the base after I get pass these guards."

Andrius switched off his codec before drawing his Mk 11 in the event he may need to deal with the sentries if one of them became alerted to his presence. He activated one of the high tech features his OCTO-CAM5 Sneaking Suit possessed, which was the Optical Stealth Camouflage, one of two forms of camouflage his suit could use. He became invisible to the naked eye, and fortunately for him the sentries didn't have any Thermal Goggles otherwise they would have been able to see him. One of two weaknesses Optical Stealth Camouflage had, the other weakness was that the camouflage wasn't effective in well-lit areas were a thin outline of the invisible infiltrator could be seen. Thankfully, Andrius's surroundings would make seeing him difficult.

He crept near the sentry as he headed towards the base, but remained watchful of his surroundings. Snake knew that if he did anything to alert the sentry such as stepping on a twig might bring unwanted attention his way. He pushed his back up against a tree after passing the sentry before he looked over his shoulder to see if he could catch a glimpse at any other sentries in the area.

Just as he and Colonel Sliver expected he saw another sentry standing watch over his comrade not too far away. He stood in the shadow of a tall tree while he tried to remain hidden from sight. The sentry had the same equipment as the first sentry he had spotted. Now that he had confirmed the tactics the sentries were using, Andrius had a good idea how to avoid them. He moved from tree to tree as he kept his eyes and ears peeled for any signs of other sentries. As he proceeded stealthy towards the location of the base: the mission was going smoothly, but Andrius knew that the real challenge would be getting Professor Emmerich out and to the recovery point in one piece. Seeing the number of Sentries around the base's outside perimeter it was clear that attempting to walk Emmerich out the front door would be a pain.

Andrius knew that he would have to perform two things to make his attempt of getting Emmerich out manageable. One he would need to create a diversion to keep the enemy busy and then he would have to think of a way to sneak Emmerich off the base admits the confusion. Andrius began to concoct a plan in his mind, but put it on hold when he pushed aside from bushes and found himself standing on a small hill overlooking the Alliance base.

From where he stood the base appeared to be a fortress and a training camp molded into one. It had a fully functional runway with an air control tower along with a few hangers to support a number of fighter craft and transports. Andrius brought out his binoculars again to get a closer look. The base was a typical set up with a communications tower; several barracks for the troops stationed here, a command center, warehouses used for tanks and other heavy weapons that would be used to handle the base's defense, but he noticed a few other things. He saw a small training ground step within the base that had an obstacle course, a few smaller barracks, but unlike the ones he saw within the base these they were enclosed within a barbwire fence and had guards posted around them. He found it curious when he saw a small group of children being led into the barracks by a pair of Alliance soldiers. Snake figured there were other heavy placements hidden around the outside perimeter of the base.

He carefully made his way down the hill before taking cover in some underbrush near the electrified barbwire fence that surrounded the base where he used his codec to contact Colonel Sliver again to report his status. "Colonel, I have reached the base. It's a pretty good set up, but they have your typical structures and buildings any base posted in the middle of a jungle complete with an airport and runway. However I noticed something."

"What is it?"

"I noticed an area of the base was converted into some kind of training camp, but the trainees taking part look to be just kids."

"I see, well remember when I said this was where Blue Cosmos militants in the Alliance train their anti-coordinator soldiers?"

"Yeah?"

"Well that's it. Those children you saw were orphaned at an early age before being brought here by the Atlantic Federation. They are trained rigorous from a young age and their lives are built upon believing that coordinators were the reason their families had died."

"Genocidal psychopaths"

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

"But training them when they are children, it's no different from what happened to me. I remember conducting my first Lone wilderness march when I was seven."

"Well I personally don't approve of training soldiers out of children, but I am in no place to question what the top brass thought of when you came into the picture."

"I suppose, and since I am an orphan myself, it wouldn't be beyond reason that there was no one who would have complained."

"Also true too. Anyway lets get back on the Mission, and from what we can tell your best way in is using an old storm drain system that runs below the base. According to intelligence the base you have arrived at was built over an abandoned military base so that storm drain system should be intact and run through base. There should be an emergency escape hatch that the commanders of the base had set up so in the event of an invasion they could use it to escape into the storm drain and eventually into the jungle to escape. I'll give you instructions how to find the hatch and the codes to open it once you are inside the drain."

"Where is the storm drain?"

"It shouldn't be too far from your current position. Just head a few miles northeast until you come to a cliff, about ten feet down you'll find the pipe. According to reports it should be large enough for you to get in. The entrance you'll be taking isn't exactly the escape route that would be used, but it is unlikely you'll encounter any sentries once you are inside the pipe, but stay alert just in case."

"Got it" Snake replied as he ended communications before he began his journey towards the storm drain, but unknown to him he was being watched by another invisible infiltrator using Optical Stealth Camouflage. The invisible spy was using thermal goggles to watch Andrius creep towards his next destination as Snake remained in the shadows of any near by trees or bushes he could utilize to mask his presence.

_Snake is right on time, _the figure thought as the invisible spy maintained a safe distance from Andrius as he continued to monitor his movements. As Andrius moved towards the storm drain he lucked out as he encountered little enemy presence, and he had a good amount of hiding spots he could use. It took him about thirty minutes to get to the far side of the base where the drain was located. He looked down the cliff and eyed the drain, Andirus climbed down as he began his descent down towards the drain. He possessed no rope by which he could use to climb down which forced him to rely on his bare hands.

Andirus began his precarious climb down the cliff face once he located small ledges that could support his feet and hands as he made his way down. Small pebbles fell off the cliff face as he continued his careful climb. Snake's left arm slipped for a moment as he lost his footing.

"Shit!" Andirus cursed as he scrambled to regain his footing.

He barely managed it, but Andirus had regained his grasp on the cliff before making his way down. Within a few short minutes he reached the top of the storm drain. He lay down on top of it so he could look inside as he poked his head under the top of the pipe. He saw some metal bars in place to prevent any wild life or intruders from getting in, but it was nothing Andirus couldn't handle. He got back to his feet right before he somersaulted off the top of the pipe, and in a display of professional acrobatics outstretched his hands to grab the top of the pipe to swing him inside.

Once inside he drew a small object from his equipment belt that appeared to be a dart gun of some short. But when Snake applied it to the bars in front of him it was revealed to be a compact blowtorch. It took Snake about three minutes to get his way through the bars, before he began making his way through the long pipe and into the underbelly of the base's underground waterworks. Once he felt he was safe inside he knelt down and contacted his CO again.

"Colonel, I am inside the waterworks below the base. Everything has been going like clockwork."

"Don't get cocky, you still haven't found Emmerich and escaped the base yet."

"I know, but now that you mentioned it. Things have been too easy."

"Exactly my point."

"You think they got their best security focused around Emmerich?"

"A good possibility, I am sure the Alliance realized that watching the jungle for any intruders wouldn't be easy so I guess they figured their best bet would be watching Emmerich." The Colonel answered.

"Alright, when I emerge from the tunnel I'll try to get some information on the security guarding Emmerich before I make my move to bust him out. I'll also arrange for a distraction to cover our escape."

"A distraction?"

"Yeah…I am not sure, but I'll figure something once I get a better idea of the base's layout."

"Very well then, anyway proceed straight ahead until you come to a fork in the road or rather the tunnels. Take the left tunnel and keep going until you come to a trio of pipes going up from the floors to the ceiling. Behind them against the wall to your left will be the hidden door. Use the device we gave you to override the door's security and enter the base."

"You mean the Security Buster?"

"Yes, according to the specifications that device will automatically hack the controls for the door and open the door."

"No problem…I'll report in when I have collected any new information on the security protecting Emmerich."

"Roger that." The Colonel replied as their codec conversation came to an end.

Before going any further, Andrius pulled out a pair of night vision goggles from his equipment belt and put them on so he could in the darkness ahead of him. He followed the Colonel's instructions as he navigated the tunnels while he had to endure the terrible smell of old sewage. Eventually he reached the door that was behind the trio of pipes as the Colonel had told him. He felt around the wall where the door was expected to be until he located a loose moss covered brick. He removed it and there was keypad that could open the door from this side.

Reaching into his equipment belt once again, Andrius pulled out a small palm size computer. He drew a long wire from the device and connected it to an input port at the bottom of the keypad. He pushed the power button and activated his Security Breaker. The Security breaker was designed as a small computer that was capable of overriding security doors by hacking the systems that controlled the said security system and taking control of it. He waited a few minutes as the security breaker went to work. Five minutes later the Security Breaker succeeded and the door opened.

Removing his night vision goggles since the room beyond had some light in it, but he would have to proceed carefully since in well-lit rooms the outline of his invisible form could be seen by anyone with a good eye. Andrius walked inside closing the door behind him once he placed his Security Breaker back into his equipment belt. He entered a small room that had nothing, but a computer terminal and a few weapons held in a weapon's locker next to a door just ahead of him. He suspected that no one must have entered this room often since this leads out into the storm drain where the top brass of the base's escape route was, but when he eyed the computer terminal he had an idea.

He pulled back the chair sitting in front before taking a seat. He began typing on the computer trying to see what he could pull up from the terminal. But when a password screen blocked him he activated his codec to call the Colonel. "Colonel, this is Snake I have successfully gained access into the base. I have found a computer terminal, but I am having trouble gaining access to the base's computer network."

"A password?"

"Right, and if I attempt to figure one out I may alert the base."

"I follow you, and this is a good time to introduce the next member of your support group back at home."

"Who?" Snake asked as a new person's face became visible on his codec. It was a man, possible African ethnicity, black hair; cut and styled military hair cut; he had blue eyes, he wore an Orb Union.

"You're Solidus Snake huh; well good to meet you pal. You can me…uh…Mr. Tech."

"Mr. Tech huh, that's a simple codename for you."

"Well it may sound simple, but it matches my job description here in FOXHOUND perfectly."

"Snake, Mr. Tech is our expert on the latest in weapons and equipment technology, and the best computer hacker Orb has to offer." Sliver explained.

"You plan to hack the computer system of this base? How?"

"Remember that small little wireless box we gave you?" Sliver asked him.

"Yeah I got it right here."

"Listen Snake, hook that thing up to the back of the computer's USB ports and turn it on. That will allow me to access and hack the base's computer network from here. There has been no system I can't crack." Mr. Tech told him.

"Alright, I'll call back once I got it hooked up."

"Roger that." Sliver said as Snake ended his nanocommunication session with Mr. Tech and Colonel Sliver. He searched his equipment belt and found something that was like a small wireless transmitter. He checked behind the computer and managed to find an USB port and hook the transmitter up. He flipped a red switch turning it on. Once it was activate he called Sliver.

"Colonel, the transmitter is on."

"Mr. Tech, its time to work your magic." Sliver declared as Mr. Tech's voice was heard in the background saying. "I am on it. Just give me a few minutes." Snake watched, as the computer became seemed to have become suddenly possessed as Mr. Tech began using his personal hacking program to hack the base's computer network. Snake sat at the table waiting for Mr. Tech to getting him full access of base's computer network. Finally Mr. Tech gave Snake a call once his job was done.

"Alright Snake that should do it, we both have complete access to the base's computer network. Security is even under my control from here so I can help to make your rescue operation work a lot easier too."

"I like that." Snake commented as Sliver butted into the conversation.

"Alright, since you have full access to the base's computer system trying bringing up any information related to Metal Gear or Professor Emmerich."

"Just sit back and watch the screen Snake. I'll take care of it." Mr. Tech said as Snake watched the computer screen as Mr. Tech scoured the database for any information regarding Metal Gear or Emmerich. In a matter of seconds three files opened up, the first one showed a technical design blueprint for some kind of new machine, the file was named Metal Gear NEO. The machine wasn't designed as a bipedal tank, but its design seemed closer related to a mobile armor. It stood at a height of 18.00 meters tall and it was quite fat, but it's under part of its body had four arms. The first two up front were a pair of retractable arms with four fingered claws with a built in new weapon called a 94mm high-energy cannon, and the other two appendages the machine had were in fact a pair of legs designed to help balance it on the ground using a pair of Archimedes screws on powerful hydraulic legs. In all retrospect it appeared to some type of freakish deformed turtle with no head. Its forward arms carried the Archimedes screws used for movement, but incorporated into the arms to allow usage of the claws and beam weapon.

Snake looked at its list of armaments and noticed that one the front of its _face _next to the Cyclops-like camera and sensor eye were a pair of Igelstellung 75mm multi-barrel CIWS, fire-linked, dual Scylla 580mm energy cannons on top of the machine's shoulders and two large powerful magnetic railguns designed for firing nuclear missiles capable of delivering an untraceable nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, without the propellant trail or launch flare that gives away the launch position of a traditional ballistic missiles. On its back were experimental thrusters designed to give the Metal Gear excellent acceleration and movement capability. Aside from thick compound armor plating, the machine was equipped with a new kind of special armor called Phase Shift Armor capable of nullifying all attacks by physical weapons, including blades, projectiles, and conventional explosives.

Not exactly like its predecessors in the past where the machines were capable of walking on two legs, but Snake suspected that it was perhaps due to the fact that nowadays mobile suit technologies belong to ZAFT and the Alliance haven't been able to develop a mobile suit that could be used by a Natural, which was perhaps the reason why they designed this Metal Gear in the form of a mobile armor so the pilot could handle it easier. The machine was designed to operate not only on land, but also in space as well thanks to the propulsion-linked system built throughout its body. It was capable of floating over the sea thanks to this propulsion system as well. However the one problem with the Metal Gear was that due to the presence of N-Jammers on Earth, the machine was incapable of using its nuclear arsenal or it's built in nuclear reactor forcing it to rely on an axillary's battery power source.

"Holy shit; Colonel are you getting all this?"

"Yes Snake, Mr. Tech is downloading all the data on the Metal Gear. To think the Alliance was building a weapon capable of launching nuclear weapons to any place in the world. That machine is not only a clear threat to ZAFT, but could be to use as well. That is if they can overcome the problems caused by the Neutron Jammers scattered worldwide."

"I hear you."

"Snake, Mr. Tech and I will take this opportunity to raid their database of any additional secret files they have here, including the files on the anti-coordinator soldiers being trained here as well as training methods just for our records. Mr. Tech will display a map of the base where Professor Emmerich is located."

"Roger that."

"But if we find that bastard machine is here then you're priority is to destroy it, however just proceed to Professor Emmerich's cell and get him out. Mr. Tech told me that since he has gained control over the base's computer controlled systems he can provide more than enough distractions to cover your escape. Just wait a moment and he'll show you the map that will lead you to his cell. Once you have Professor Emmerich, Mr. Tech can use the security cameras to scan the corridors to ensure you path back to the tunnel is clear."

"So I am using the tunnel to escape?"

"Yes, but you won't be exiting through the storm drain. You'll head straight through the tunnel and out of the secret exit into the jungle. Once you are out, head further north for an hour until you cross a rope bridge and reach a clearing. We'll drop the recovery balloon there to pull you and Emmerich out."

"Roger that."

"Keep you're codec line open until you are out of the base. That way we can provide constant security updates to you on the movements of their sentries and where their cameras are focused."

"Understood"

"Here Snake, I found Professor Emmerich. It turns out he is inside the main administration building, the same place where you're at. He is on the fifth floor in the special prisoner detention block. It's an area of the building that they leave for important or dangerous prisoners like diplomats, coordinators or valuable prisoners. His cell is being guarded by five heavy armed soldiers dressed in body armor."

"Five guards might be a little difficult to take care of. That is if I want to keep the base from knowing I am here."

"Not to worry Snake I already got a plan to take them out. Emmerich's cell is an isolation chamber that is locked air-tight from the outside world and is dependant on its own supply of oxygen, but it carries another feature that can pump poisonous scentless poisonous gas to kill the prison if the Alliance decides to execute the prisoner or stop them from escaping. However that system is tied into the ventilation system for that room. If I can disable the safety protocols and eliminate the base's chances of finding out I think I can reroute the poison gas and release a burst strong enough to kill the guards in the room and nothing beyond. I'll reverse the air circulation system to pump the gas out of them room and deposit it outside where it will be rendered harmless and allow you to enter and get Emmerich out."

"Ok…I'll head out towards Emmerich Cell and report back once we have escaped the base."

"Right, and once you have Emmerich I got a couple of distractions I can set off to make sure your path back to the tunnel is cleared. I'll monitor the security camera and alert you if there are any guards in your path."

"Thanks."

"Good luck, but one more thing Snake."

"What?"

"When you see Professor Emmerich, tell him something from me. Tell him: Sorry for being so late."

"No problem."

"Alright contact me when you get Emmerich out of the base." Colonel Sliver said as Snake switched the codec over to audio only so he could listen to Mr. Tech if he found anything Andrius needed to know about.


	4. Chapter 4 Encounter

Chapter 4

Encounter

Solidus Snake emerged from the hidden room to find himself inside an officer's quarters; most likely these quarters belonged to either the base commander or someone else of great importance if he had a hidden passageway leading to a secret escape tunnel. Luckily the room was empty allowing Andrius to walk out of the room still hidden behind the cover of his Optical Stealth Camouflage. Although he was still invisible he had to be careful since any movement he made leaves of the possibility of him being spotted if they see the faint outline of his body if he is moving around.

He crept towards the door and allowed it to slide open automatically before poking his head to see if there was anyone there. Luck was on his side today as he found the stairwell, which appeared to be the only way out of the basement floor devoid of life. Seeing how everything easy the mission was going, it made Andrius feel uncomfortable. He wanted to finish this mission as soon as possible and get out of Atlantic Federation territory ASAP.

He slowly ascended the stairs with his Mk 22 in hand, which was rendered invisible as well, just in case he finds any guards and in the event they spot him. He continued his climb, he did encounter a few sentries wearing regular Alliance uniforms, but carrying the same firearms he saw the sentries in the jungle holding. The sentries he saw were mostly either going up to another floor or going down instead of using the elevator.

When he reached the second floor he had a close one with a pair of sentries when the door almost hit him when they opened it. He stayed perfectly still until they passed him before continuing up the stairs. When he reached the fifth floor he slowly pushed the door open right before moving out into the hall. There were some guards patrolling this floor, but it seems they were too busy chatting to one another with their backs turned to the doorway into the stairwell.

Andrius moved down the hall passing the guards easily enough as he turned a corner heading in the direction where Emmerich's cell should be. He came to a metal door constructed out of thick armor plating with words printed in red reading: Warning Restricted Area, authorized personnel only. Suddenly he heard Mr. Tech's voice through his codec.

"I already rerouted the gas into the room with the guards. Don't worry they didn't get a chance to call for help."

"What about the security cameras?"

"I have the guys working security watching a replayed loop of what is going on inside the room. They won't know what happened until someone goes in to check it out. I'll have already unlocked the door for you so just go on in. I have already pumped out all of the poisonous gas and the room's sensors show that the air is breathable again."

"Security is pretty light here."

"Probably thought no one would have gotten this far."

Andrius was still uncertain about that, but all he could do was simply answer, "Maybe you're right, but something stinks here."

Andrius returned to the matter at hand as entered the room beyond and just as Mr. Tech had told him. The guards were down on the ground dead after having been killed swiftly by the gas before they had the chance to alert anyone outside of the room. He walked over to the cell where Professor Emmerich was locked up and found the man cowering in a corner through a transparent bulletproof door.

The Professor in question was about in his mid twenties with shaggy medium length brown hair, wore a pair of small reading glasses, a wear lab coat with a green T-shirt underneath with some light brown slacks and shoes. He had a light beard growing on his face, which probably was a sign that they didn't much of a chance to shave. Snake eyed a wet spot on his paints suggesting that the poor man had pissed his paints when he saw the guards suddenly die.

Snake opened door, startling the professor, as he asked him "Professor Randolph Emmerich I assume?"

"Who…who are you?" The startled doctor asked.

Snake deactivated his camouflage revealing himself to the doctor. "I am with the ORB Union's High-tech Special Forces group FOXHOUND. Colonel Sliver who got you out of the Atlantic Federation last time sent me."

"What?"

"He has a message for you."

Emmerich seemed interested "What did he say?"

"He says sorry for being so late."

Randolph began laughing a little until Snake asked him. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing is funny; it just means your CO is a man of his word, but we have no time for chatting you have got to get me out of here before they come back."

"You mean the soldiers?"

"No, Azrael."

"Azrael: as in Muruta Azrael, head of the Defense Industry Association of the Earth Alliance and the Azrael Conglomerate?"

"Yes, but he is more than that, he is in essence the true ruler behind the Atlantic Federation, and most frightening of all, he is the leader of Blue Cosmos. He is the one who had me brought here to help design and build his Metal Gear NEO and create a Neutron Jammer Canceller of some kind allowing it to become combat worthy."

"A Neutron Jammer Canceller?"

"Yes, as you may have found out that Azrael has taken an interest in reviving the myth of Metal Gear after coming across some technical specs of an older model about a year ago. Currently he and his fellow Blue Cosmos members who are in control of the Atlantic Federation have been working to seize complete control of the Alliance so they can carry out a campaign of genocide against coordinators. If he completes Metal Gear NEO and if I create his device that can nullify the effects of a Neutron Jammer then he'll no doubt begin mass-production of those machines to use against the PLANTs and anyone who would dare oppose him. You must get me out of here before he comes back he has tortured me in horrible ways to force me to corporate."

"Don't worry I am getting you out of here. Just follow me."

"Anything is better than this place."

"But before we go, put this on." Andrius suggested as he knelt down and began stripping down one of the dead soldiers killed by the gas. "I know it's probably uncomfortable, but I think we can get out easier if you disguise yourself as a soldier." Snake tossed Emmerich portions of the clothing and armor the guard was wearing to Emmerich who hesitantly began putting it on.

"I'll do it, but I won't like it."

"Fair enough" Andrius remarked as he finished striping the dead body down to his underpants.

A short time later once Emmerich's disguise was complete, the two exited the room and was starting to make their way back down the hallway towards the staircase. Suddenly alarms began going off as explosions seen at the far side of the base began tearing through a couple hangers. Snake relaxed himself as he figured that was the diversion Mr. Tech meant, although he thought it was a little much. Either way he heard the two soldiers chatting earlier around the corner were running down the stairwell to the ground floor to provide assistance. Leaving the hallway deserted for Snake, who reactivated his Optical Stealth Camouflage was tailing right behind Emmerich as the two ran down the hall heading for the stairwell.

Without stopping to catch their breath, Emmerich and Snake hurried down the stairs like they were running from a pack of wolves. Although there was no soldiers ahead of them, but they could hear the sounds of rushing footsteps a couple floors above them as more troops were descending the stairs. Snake and Emmerich reached the bottom of the stairs first and hurried back into the quarters where the hidden passageway was located.

Their luck still held as they saw that the room was still deserted, Snake led Emmerich into the passageway before he sealed if behind them. Andrius knelt down and contacted his CO. "Colonel this is Snake, I have Emmerich he's doing alright, no injuries."

"Good work Snake, now both of you hurry up and get to the recovery point and we'll rendezvous with you there. Just make sure you take the wireless transmitter with you from that computer terminal. Mr. Tech is finished with their system and has assured me that all traces related to Metal Gear or Emmerich's work, and any camera records that may have held a possible image of you have been deleted from their database including traces of his invasion into their system."

"Roger."

"What about the sentries?"

"No one saw me."

"Excellent, now Snake when you exit the escape tunnel into the jungle by traveling further up the tunnel you rushed down through until you come to a second storm drain opening, but it will be camouflaged by fake vines and overgrowth, so just pass through it and you'll be in the jungle. From there head north for about a mile until you come to a draw bridge, once you are over the bridge and reach the clearing a short distance away we'll drop the balloon and get you both out of there."

"Understood, time to bring this mission to an end." Snake replied as he ended his communication with Sliver. Before leaving he took the transmitter and stuffed it back into his equipment belt just before he opened the passageway into the sewers.

"Where are we going?" Emmerich asked.

"We're going to head through the tunnel here that leads straight into the jungle. All we got to do is head three miles north and Colonel Sliver will pick us up."

Emmerich allowed a sigh of relief to escape his mouth "It will be great to see my family again, thank you…uh"

"Solidus, call me Solidus Snake."

"Will Snake work?"

"Sure, let's go."

The two began running down the tunnel heading north just as Sliver instructed. A couple minutes later they reached the end of the tunnel. Snake felt some air coming through the fake foliage and some sunlight shinned through. Snake plowed his way through the foliage and into the jungle with Emmerich right behind him. Once out, they hurried through the jungle-continuing north, running like hell since they had no idea when the soldiers at the base will find out that Emmerich has escaped. They knew that once the Atlantic Federation discovered that he was gone they would search the base and search the surrounding area so the two needed to put as much distance between them and the base as possible.

Minutes later about a half-mile away, Emmerich was out of breathe so he began to slow down to a halt as he laid himself against a tree. "Damn, I never ran this much in my life." He was breathing heavily as Snake stopped to take this moment to catch his own breath.

"Don't worry, at the distance we have began gaining considering the amount of time since we left the base I think we're almost to the bridge." Snake said as he had deactivated his Optical Stealth Camouflage so Emmerich could follow him. So far they hadn't encountered any sentries.

"That's good to hear."

"We'll rest for a few minutes before we continue towards the bridge."

"Thanks."

The duo rested for a few minutes, but Solidus readied himself for trouble when he heard the faint sound of a small twig breaking near by. He kept completely still until a person dressed in a BDU leapt out of the jungle at him from behind, Solidus bent down a little and turned around in one motion to grab the guy and throw him into a near by tree. A second person came out, and tired to grab him, but Andrius dropped to a CQC stance and grabbed the by the collar of the shirt when Snake sidestepped to grab him. Taking him by his right arm, Snake flipped the guy over him slamming on the ground head first behind him.

While the other two men he had taken out effortlessly were trying to recover, a third solider came at him, but he dealt with third the enemy soldier as well with a masterfully executed CQC technique by grabbing the left extended arm of the solider and then turning his body to use the momentum of his foe to move along their arm and pass their back before he knocked his foe down with a blow to the back of the knee.

The first soldier was back on his feet, but he tried to draw a pistol side arm he was carrying, seeing the possible danger to himself and Emmerich he grabbed the second soldier who was just about back to his feet and began using him as a shield after subduing him using his arm to lock the enemy's left arm behind his back and then Andrius held his knife to the enemy soldier's neck with his arm running across the soldier's chest.

The other soldier was trying to aim for Solidus, but with his comrade in the line of fire, the chance of hitting his friend was too great. With the second enemy solider distracted and his focus trained on Solidus's face he drew his Mk 22 and fired a tranquilizer drat into the neck of the enemy solider. The tranquilizer drat took effect within a few seconds and the solider was rendered unconscious as he dropped to the ground.

The last soldier had returned to his feet and was attempting to take Emmerich hostage in an attempt to turn the tables, which during the entire attack had taken refuge behind the tree he was leaning against. However Solidus trailed his gun on the enemy solider and told them.

"Hold it right there."

The soldier stopped when he realized that he was well in his enemy's slights.

"Drop it!" Solidus demanded as the soldier dropped his weapon. Eyeing his foe, the soldier wasn't dressed in the same body armor as the sentries he had found around base, but he was only wearing a simple BDU with a pistol and knife as his only weapon. Judging by the man's appearance it seemed these three weren't soldiers sent from the base chasing him and Emmerich, but recruits who were undergoing some short of training in the jungle.

The soldier appeared to be about a year older than him with white hair, and purple eyes. The other one who was down on the ground was as old as Andrius was with dark brown hair, and potentially African ethnicity. The last soldier who was currently Andrius's hostage wasn't a man unlike the other two, but a woman. She seemed about around his age too with black short hair and brown eyes and gray eye shadow and lip. When Andrius realized he had his arm going across his chest his face turned a little red around the checks.

"You're ambush wasn't too bad. Going in one at a time to throw me off balance, but when one of you stepped on a twig I was aware you were there, and therefore I was ready for you. Another weakness you three had was that you allowed your rage to drive your actions making it easier for me to overpower you since you weren't calm and focused." Solidus explained as the woman tired to move, but the knife was held steady against her neck, so with but a simple flick of his wrist, Solidus could kill her.

"You're a coordinator aren't you?" The young man demanded.

"What difference does it make if I am; you have some skills as a soldier. But you are lacking the training to take down someone like me who has had years more experience than you, and unlike you I fight with a calm and focused mind. Guys like you are nothing more than bloodthirsty killers with no discipline. That will be the lesson I will teach you." Andrius aimed his gun and shot the white haired youth with a tranquilizer drat in the neck, in seconds he passed out.

"Sven! You bastard you killed him."

"Wrong dear, I shot him with a tranquilizer drat, he'll be out for about an hour. Just as you will be, I am under orders not to kill any enemies I encounter so consider yourselves lucky. I hope you'll consider what I said, but it's unlikely that you will since you are just as bad as coordinators, easily prone to jealously and arrogance." He released the woman and pushed her forward before shooting her in the back of the neck with a tranquilizer drat. She dropped to her knees as the tranquilizer drat was beginning to take effect. "Oh and sorry about my arm going across...your" Andrius allowed the sentence to trail off.

"Bastard!" She muttered before she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Emmerich are you still there?" Solidus called out.

"Yeah" Randolph called out as he emerged from behind the tree "I am right here, damn that was a close one."

"I know, come on we better get moving. I think they may have found out that you have escaped so we don't have much time."

"Right…I am ready for another dash." Randolph noted as he and Snake started running towards the bridge. Another fifteen minutes later they reached the bridge and hurried across. Meanwhile back at the base, a man wearing a light blue suit with a plum color tie and collared shirt was walking down the hall accompanied by two armed soldiers. He approached the door leading into the special detention cells where Emmerich was being held prisoner. He began to open the door as he said.

"Well gentlemen, how is our guest?" The man said, but his eyes went wide in surprise as he found that the guards he had posted in the room were dead and one of them had been stripped of his clothing. "What the hell? Where the fuck is Emmerich?"

"I don't understand it sir, the security cameras has been showing our men watching him. No one else has been in and out."

"FIND him, have every soldier on the base looking for him. Tell them he must be captured unharmed."

"Yes Mr. Azrael!" The soldier replied as he pulled out a radio and began shouting orders into it as the head of Blue Cosmos was outraged. Suddenly a tranquilizer drat struck both guards standing with Azrael in the neck knocking them out.

"What?"

"Hello Mr. Azrael." An electronic disembodied voice said as he deactivated his Optical Camouflage and revealed himself to be a man wearing a Sneaking Suit similar to the one Andrius was wearing, except he had a full head shroud covering his face with thermal goggles on; he stood there twirling a small pistol equipped with a silencer in his left hand. "Lets make this quick shall we." Before Azrael could say another word, he was shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart and fell into unconsciousness. A larger man hiding under the cover of the same Camouflage picked up Azrael and threw an Optical Stealth Camouflage cloak over his body. The two disappeared with Muruta Azrael in tow.

At that same moment, Snake and Professor Emmerich reached the open clearing where Colonel Sliver told Solidus Snake that place where they would be recovered. Andrius knelt down and called Colonel Sliver via CODEC. "Colonel, I have Emmerich, and we're at the recovery point."

"Excellent and well done. We'll drop the recovery balloon; it should take less than five minutes to set it up if you and the Professor work together."

"Got it"

Snake ended his conversation with the Colonel before waiting with Emmerich watching the sky above for the recovery balloon to be dropped. At that moment outside of the base somewhere in the jungle, the two invisible infiltrators arrived at a small hovercraft resting on the bank of a river. They dragged Azrael's unconscious body on board as a third figure also wearing a Sneaking Suit was standing there waiting for them.

"I got images of the Orb agent on the scene; I see you guys got Azrael." The figure standing on the boat answered.

"Yeah" The large man said as the figure standing next to him was twirling a gun in his hand spoke a comment.

"But we didn't get the technical data on the Metal Gear. It seems the Orb agent took it and deleted data from the database. We did manage to find out where the machine itself is located."

"No matter, I know a way we can get it. But we need to escape first, come on."

The trio boarded the craft and took off down river with their prisoner on board while at the base, the whole place was in chaos as soldiers were searching for Emmerich, attempting to put out the fires caused by the explosions Mr. Tech created while they were now searching for Azrael who had gone missing during the confusion. Also thanks to in part of Mr. Tech's efforts; the base's aircraft detection systems had mysteriously gone off line.

A minute later in the skies above the South American continent, a stealth plane was bringing up a balloon it has just recovered using the Fulton Surface-to-Air Recovery System. One they were up in the air, mechanical arms were pulling the futon up into the plane. However, a small mechanical flying drone trailing the plane was transmitting a live recording of the aircraft to a hidden location. At that location, a man was seated behind a desk in a dark room; the only light was from the monitor displaying the image of the plane the drone was transmitting.

A smile could be seen from the man sitting down at the desk as he watched the video image.


	5. Chapter 5 Betrayal

Chapter 5

Betrayal

Three days later in the Orb Union, inside a hidden underground military facility located on a small island just a mile away from the country's boarders, northwest of the Orb mainland. After Professor Emmerich was given a new identity and placed into protective custody with his family of the Orb Government, Solidus Snake returned to FOXHOUND HQ to await his next mission. Currently Solidus Snake or rather Andrius was alone by himself in a training hall practicing his CQC techniques.

He was shirtless wearing only the paints of a green and black military BDU with accompanying boots. Andrius was training himself against a still dummy as he practiced a variety of the techniques he was taught. He stopped when he heard footsteps approaching; he turned around and saw a young woman approaching him. She appeared to be seventeen years older than Andrius; she had shoulder length brown hair tied into a ponytail with blue eyes. She had a jagged scar going down the left side of her under her eye. The woman wore an OCTO-CAM2 Sneaking Suit, the same model Andrius had worn and can utilize two forms of camouflage. The first being Optical Stealth Camouflage and second an OCTO-CAM camouflage system. The female agent was also wearing a black bandana on her head.

She was just as beautiful as well as deadly in combat, for she was FOXHOUND's best agent while Andrius was second to her. Her codename was Noir Fox. "Samira, you're back, but I thought you were on a long term undercover mission in Eurasia?" The woman smiled as she placed one hand on Andrius's shoulder.

"I finished it, but I hear you pulled off your mission in South America with very little trouble. Not bad. I even hear you have earned yourself a codename finally."

"Yeah, I am Solidus Snake when I am on a mission."

"Solidus Snake huh?"

"Yeah, the Colonel says there was a special reason for it, but he never told me what."

"I see." Samira eyed the combat dummy, she walked up to it and knocked it aside before she turned to Andrius and asked him. "Come on Andrius I want to see how well you have kept up with your CQC training." She dropped to a CQC stance waiting for Andrius to make a move against her.

"Alright" Andrius replied with a smile as he assumed a CQC stance himself.

"Try to remember some of the basics of CQC." Noir Fox instructed.

The two combatants stood still for a moment before Andrius made his move as he rushed the woman. Samira thrust her right arm forward, but Andrius evaded it as he moved passed it while he tried to grab her arm and use her momentum against her to flip her to the ground, but Samira countered Andrius attack by turning around and moving behind him by moving along his right arm.

While doing so she brought her knee into Andrius's stomach right before striking him in the back of the neck with a blow from her left arm, all done in one swift monition. Andrius was down on the ground, but he rolled to the side and launched himself into the air to get back to his feet.

Fox was already coming at him again, but the minute he was up to his feet he bent down and flipped the woman over his back. She landed behind him firmly with both feet on the ground. Andrius was already turning around when both of her feet made contact with the ground brining his left hand around to strike her while he had his right hand readied to block any blow from Fox.

Samira tried to strike sweeping kick after evading Andrius's latest attempt to strike her, but the young man leapt over her leg while at the same time he brought up one leg to kick her in the face. However, as if she saw the attack coming, Fox grabbed his leg with both hands and in one motion turned and threw Andrius across the room until he crashed into the wall behind Fox than a few feet away.

Andrius was on the ground trying to recover from the collision as the hit knocked the air from his lungs. Fox was standing over him offering her hand to her defeated opponent. "You have gotten better, your techniques still aren't perfect yet." Samira helped Andirus to his feet.

The navy-blue haired coordinator smiled "I see."

"Don't worry, you're still young. But for your technique to be at your current level considering you age is impressive alone."

"Because I am a coordinator?"

"No, because you trained and worked hard to be a skilled as you are now."

"Well, that is whatever else thinks."

"They are fools Andrius, long before coordinators were created there were humans who possessed superhuman capable they either gained through freak accidents or hardcore training. Nowadays many humans have become slothful causing them to rely on using genetics to make their children superior than everyone else which in turn causes those who are normal to become envious which sparks pointless conflicts like the one the Alliance the PLANTs have been drawn into."

"I guess you're right. Sorry, it's just that some of those in FOXHOUND who don't like genetic modification have still been giving me a hard time."

Fox laughed cheerfully. "Tell me who they are and I'll straighten them out."

"Nah, they are entitled to their opinion I suppose."

"I suppose."

"By the way, why did you disappear on me two years ago?"

"Like I told you I was on a top-secret mission." Andrius was silent. "You didn't need me anymore."

"But there were still so many things I needed you to teach me."

"No. I taught you everything you needed to know about fighting techniques and survival skills. I taught you all I could. The rest you needed to learn on your own."

"Techniques, sure, but what about how to think like a soldier?"

"How to think like a soldier? I can't teach you that. A soldier needs to be strong in spirit, body, and technique; and the only thing you can learn from someone else is technique. In fact, technique doesn't even matter. What's most important is spirit. Spirit and body are like two sides of a single coin. They're the same thing. I can't teach you how to think. You'll just have to figure it out for yourself. Listen to me, Andrius."

Samira paused for a moment "Just because soldiers are on the same side right now doesn't mean that they will always be. Having personal feelings about your comrades is one the worst sins you can commit. Politics determine whom you face on the battlefield. And politics are a living thing. They change along with the times. Yesterday's good might be tomorrow's evil."

"Is that why you abandoned me?" Andrius replied scornfully.

"No. It had nothing to do with you. I already told you, Andrius. I was on a top-secret mission. A soldier has to follow whatever orders he or she is given. It's not his place to question why. But you're looking for a reason to fight. You're a natural born fighter, but you're not quite a soldier. A solider is a political tool, nothing more. That's doubly true if he is a career soldier. Right and wrong have no place in his mission. He has no enemies and no friends. Only the mission, you will follow the orders you're given. That's what being a soldier is all about."

"I do whatever I have to do to get the job done. I don't think about politics."

"That is not the same thing. Sooner or later, your conscience is going to bother you. In the end, you have to choose whether you're going to live as a soldier, or just another man with a gun. There's a saying in the Orient: Loyalty to the end. Do you know what it means?

"Being...Patriotic?"

"It means devoting yourself to your country."

"I follow the Chief Representative and the top brass. I'm ready to die for them if necessary."

"The Chief Representative and the top brass won't be there forever. Once their terms are up, others will take their place."

"I follow the will of the leader, no matter who's in charge."

"People aren't the ones who dictate the missions."

"Then who does?"

"The times. People's values change over time. And so do the leaders of a country. So there's no such thing as an enemy in absolute terms. The enemies we fight are only in relative terms, constantly changing with the times." Andrius was silent for a moment as the words struck him. "As long as we have loyalty to the end, there is no point in believing in anything...even in those we love."

"And that's the way a soldier is supposed to think?"

"The only thing we can believe in with absolute certainty is the mission, Andrius."

"All right."

"By the way, your codename is Solidus Snake now right. It suits you well."

"I asked Sliver to give you the codename because of the legendary unit that Noir Fox put together during Reconstruction War was a snake. The Cobra Unit, a group of heroes that brought the war to an end and saved the world from its own self-destruction." A new voice broke in as an older man walked in on the two. He was wearing the plum colored suit wore by members of Orb's governing Parliament Council. He seemed to be in his late thirties with dark brown hair, a beard growing on his face with a mustache. His blue eyes were on the two soldiers ahead of him.

He kept his hands behind his back and locked glazes with Fox before looking to Andrius and saying "As you know, after the war, Samira had to be cryo-genetically frozen until we could cure her of a disease that was eating away at her body. I believe you two know the rest."

"Representative Char"

"Samira and hello Andrius, I came to congratulate you on a successful mission Andrius."

"Thank you sir" Andrius answered as he gave Representative George Char a salute.

"Professor Emmerich is in protective custody with his family here in Orb, but there is still the threat of Metal Gear NEO. We want it destroyed."

"Was it at the facility?"

"No, but it seems it has been transported to an island called Shadow Moses, an island off the coast of Fox Archipelago, Alaska."

"Transported?" Fox asked.

"It seems they are planning to conduct a series of field tests with it."

"Are there any plans to destroy it?"

"Yes, after some preparations we'll deploy you; your mission will be to ensure the complete destruction of Metal Gear NEO. You'll leave by sub tomorrow evening and head towards Alaska to commence the operation."

"I'll be ready to go sir."

"Good, I'll see you later before you leave tonight." With those words the Representative left the room leaving the two seasoned soldiers alone to continue their conversation. After Fox was sure, no one else was around she looked to Andrius and asked.

"Sounds like you have a bigger mission on your hands."

"Yeah, and I hear its gets pretty cold up there."

"Well…there is one thing I should say before I go."

"What is it?"

Samira's expression suddenly changed, she seemed deeply sadden somehow. "Andrius I am sorry for what will happen now." Andrius didn't understand what Samira meant, but suddenly a loud banging sound was heard as an air duct cover fell down from the ceiling above. Emerging from it, were men wearing black clothing with gray vests carrying grenades and ammo packs. They wore helmets with the visor down; their visor bore four red dots. Andrius knew the uniforms and equipment of the men as they descended from the air duct above; they were Coordinator Special Ops soldiers of the ZAFT military.

"ZAFT special ops soldiers, Samira what the hell is this?"

"I am sorry Andrius, but I am defecting, the Metal Gear data you recovered from South America will make a nice gift for my new hosts."

"You can't be serious!" Andrius shouted as he drew his side arm he carried from his belt.

Suddenly the door just opposite of where Representative Char had left through was blown open and a man wearing an Earth Alliance uniform walked in. He bore the rank of General on it, but unlike the uniforms worn by officers within the Alliance. This man uniform was designed as more of a large coat he wore. His hands were gloved by tight purple gantlets. He was seven feet tall with large, board shoulders and a muscular build. He had spiky white hair, blue eyes, he appeared to be in his late fifties with some wrinkles on one side of his face, but the right side of his face was horribly scarred as if he had been caught in a horrific blast or accident.

"Thank you for shutting down the security systems Fox."

"General Sadique, I see your men have begun the infiltration."

"Yes, my men have already reached the archives and are extracting the data for Metal Gear. We can leave now; the troops ZAFT lent us can help cover our escape." The scarred general noticed Andrius. "Who is he? Another one of your disciples, are we taking him with us?"

"No. This is one is still just a child. Too pure for us Cobras, he has not yet found an emotion to carry into battle." Fox answered without a sign of emotion on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Andrius demanded as he aimed his gun at Noir Fox.

"Think you can pull the trigger?" Samira replied darkly as she rushed forward. Before Andrius could fire off a shot, Samira was already standing next to him with both of her hands on his gun. With a kick to the stomach he was knocked to the ground and was left lying a couple feet away. When Andrius attempted to aim his weapon at Fox, he discovered that all he had was the handle with the trigger ring; Samira had dismantled the weapon with her bare hands.

"He's seen my face. We can't let him live. If the Atlantic Federation finds out about this, we're finished. He must die." The General drew his side arm and began to aim at Andrius.

"Wait. He's my apprentice. I'll take care of him." Samira turned to her fallen pupil and said. "Andrius, you can't come with us." The veteran soldier held out her hand to Andrius. Foolishly, Andrius takes it, but Fox pulls him up to his feet right before ramming her elbow into his ribs, and then broke his arm with both hands. The young man let out a cry of pain before the woman knocked him to the floor. "He should remain unconscious long enough for the explosives to destroy the base. The blast will finish him."

"Then let us make our escape before the Orb Military is dispatched to the island. The explosives will go off in ten minutes."

"Yes." The soldiers were the first to leave following the General before Noir Fox herself left. She turned and took one look at Andrius and said, "Wake up and escape. My place is with them now." Samira removed her bandana and dropped to the ground in front of Andrius before turning around and leaving the room leaving Andrius behind. Three minutes later, Andrius began picking himself up as he slowly rose to his feet grunting in pain.

"Samira!" Andrius called out, but a different voice answered.

"She has left with her new friends leaving to die in the explosion that will destroy your Headquarters."

"What! Who are you?"

Suddenly a man leapt down from above, he was a fifty-five year old man with long white pasty colored hair, a goatee, bloodshot eyes, wearing a brown trench coat with no shirt underneath, and black pants with boots. On his belt he small sheaths holding a number of small throwing knives while on his belt buckle held a sheath containing a large bowie knife. His appearance was frightening; on par with something you would see from a vampire movie. "You poor boy, you have been having an unlucky day, but now isn't the time to chat." The figure leapt up to open-air duct left by the ZAFT Special OPS team and dropped a rope. "I hope you can still climb with that one arm. Hurry, you have seven minutes to escape."

"Wait!"

The knife-wielding man was gone, as he had disappeared into the air-duct. Determined to get some answers, Andrius picked up the bandana Samira left behind and stuffed it onto his equipment belt before he used his remaining arm and climbed up the rope, or rather he tried, but with one arm it was impossible.

"Having trouble" The voice came again before Andrius was suddenly pulled up into the air duct. Surprised for a moment as he looked around while he was left lying down inside the vent, but as soon as he saw the vampire-looking knife user moving away: he brought himself up to his feet and hurried after him. The duct was just large enough for him to run though it, but he would have to do it bending his back down.

Andrius chased the man through the labyrinth of air-ducts until he came to an opening that led outside. It seems the fake bushes that had covered the hidden duct to circulate enter the facility had been removed along with the air pump and purifiers. The boy was left wondering how could have they removed it without alerting the base, but he shook it from his mind as he rushed out into the sunlight.

The young coordinator looked frantically for the man until he spotted him up to his left standing near the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. When Andrius got within a few feet of the man, he turned around as he grinned at him. "Not bad, but if I wanted to I could have easily escaped you."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Persistent aren't we, just like him. Couldn't you allow me to enjoy the sunshine; it has been over a hundred years since I last enjoyed the sun in the pacific. In fact, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I awoke and saw the sky again, and I must confess much has changed, but how the world is ran is still the same somehow." The man spoke with a Romanian accent.

"I want answers!"

"In time you will come to know the truth, but will you survive it?" Suddenly the Goth drew a couple throwing knives from his belt and began throwing them at Andrius. Although Andrius managed to evade a few of them, but because he was weakened by his fight with Noir Fox and his right arm was useless since he couldn't use it at the moment hindered his ability to fight back. His right leg, just a few inches above the kneecap was struck, causing Andrius to drop to his feet again right before the Romanian knife thrower nailed the boy's left shoulder. The boy screamed in agony, as the man waltzed over to the child soldier. He threw the boy over his shoulder and proceeded to carry him as he ran off the edge of the cliff and fell towards the water below.

Instead of sinking into the ocean, the Romanian was running across the water heading towards the Orb Mainland, on the way, the running knife wielder passed by a small row-boat carrying a lone fisherman who appeared to be eighty years old. After taking one look at the running Romanian, he shook his head in disbelief as he pulled a flask holding some gin he had. He tossed it over his shoulder into the ocean.

A few minutes later the base exploded destroying a portion of the island while in the distance, a smoke cloud that could be seen from the mainland began to rise up marking the destruction of FOXHOUND HQ. Standing on a beach, the Romanian saw the smoke. He turned and looked down at the unconscious form of Andrius; the boy he had saved from what could have been certain death. After licking the blood off his knives, the man drew a cell phone from his coat and dialed in a number.

"Yes, this is Vamp. I rescued the boy from the facility" Vamp listened to the voice on the other line. "I didn't rough him up too much, but I think Fox did a number on him before I arrived." Vamp listened again to the reply the man on the phone was giving him. "Good, I think he'll pull through, and especially since an anonymous call was made to bring an ambulance from the military base to pick the boy up. My mission is complete, I'll return to base." Vamp hung up his cell phone, and before leaving he took one last look at the boy and said. "You know, your blood tastes much like his you know. Different, but you can notice the strong similarities. We'll meet again."

With those last words, Vamp began to walk away leaving a bleeding and wounded Andrius on the beach while in the background the sound of an approaching ambulance was heard in the background.

A/N: nostalgic


	6. Chapter 6 Virtuousness

Chapter 6

Virtuousness

At first as he opened his eyes, the images he saw were burred, but as his eyes focused everything around him became clear to him. Andrius woke up lying in the same hospital bed he has been in for more than four days ever since FOXHOUND HQ was blown to hell. For the hours he has spent lying in bed with an IV attached to his arm while a heart monitor maintained steady updates on his condition. He had a bandage warped around his left shoulder; his broken arm was in a cast. His condition had improved since he was brought to the military hospital on Onogoro Island to recover.

As Andrius looked around the room, seeing that he was still in the ICU ward he sighed as the thoughts of Samira's betrayal tore at his mind. He couldn't understand why she, of all people, would betray him and FOXHOUND like that. She practically founded it, so nothing was making sense. Suddenly the door opened, and Representative Char walked in. He looked to the young man sitting up in bed as he asked him.

"So, how does it feel to be a patient in one of the most advanced ICUs in the world Andrius? The doctors tell me you are improving with each day."

"Would you do me a favor, and tell the suits about visiting hours? I'll never get better with them assaulting me day and night with their questions." Andrius demanded.

"It must be part of the inquiry being conducted by the military high command." Char replied sadly.

"More like an interrogation. According to them, I'm a traitor and an accomplice to Noir Fox's defection because I, despite my injuries, managed to escape the base."

"They're just looking for a scapegoat."

"Does that mean they're after you too?"

"Let's just say neither one of us is going to be made a national hero out of this."

"Does this mean FOXHOUND is going to die?"

"No. This fox is still one step ahead of the hounds. The reason I came to see you today...Andrius, it's time for you, me and FOXHOUND to clear our names."

"What are you talking about?"

"The situation has changed. We've still got a chance to come out of this one alive."

"Yeah? What kind of chance?" Andrius remarked sarcastically.

"Don't get too excited." Char sat down at the end of Andrius bed before he continued. "This morning I had a meeting with the Chief Representative Athha and the rest of the parliament."

"They decided when they're going to execute us?"

"No. Something even bigger, you see yesterday, Lord Uzumi received an unexpected call." Char began as he recounted an event that happened yesterday. Lord Uzumi was speaking to a man through videophone, the man had gray hair and his features almost mirrored that of another man related to him.

"Lord Uzumi."

"Yes, I hear you Mr. Azrael."

"It was a secured communication's line from Bruno Azrael."

"You mean Muruta Azrael's father?" Andrius asked Char.

"Yes" Char answered before he continued explaining what had occurred during the conversation between Uzumi and Azrael senior.

"About one week ago, my son was kidnapped while visiting a secret military installation in South America. Around the same time we received word that an infiltrator linked with Orb was there as well. A series of explosions were triggered destroying a portion of the base and some soldiers were killed as a result. Also word reached me that a Stealth aircraft was barely detected around the same time when my son disappeared. Does any of this sound familiar to you? As a result our government has put our military on full alert against Orb. Depending on your response, I may be left with no choice but to order the military to maximum alert and consider your country a supporter of ZAFT and unleash our military upon Orb. If you wish for your country to avoid danger, I must have your full cooperation."

"I should have contacted you myself. Did you know that your son was creating a nuclear armed mobile armor that would be capable of launching nuclear strikes against any location in the world if not for the Neutron Jammers scattered around the earth?"

"No"

"Well I only discovered this myself a few days ago, but it seems a few members of my government sent an operative of a covert high-tech special operations unit to the base in question to rescue a scientist named Professor Emmerich was being held against his will there. The operative succeeded in getting the scientist out, but he wasn't linked with any of the explosions or deaths on the base. The members of our governing cabinet who were concerned about this new weapon your son was working on sought to also destroy it, but we found that it wasn't at the base. Emmerich informed us that your son was forcing him to invent a device that could nullify the Neutron Jammer making the weapon usable."

"I see, so you are saying this operative didn't kidnap my son, but instead broke Professor Emmerich out and escaped with him."

"Yes he did."

"Then explain the disappearance of my son." Bruno snapped.

"Well about four days ago the headquarters of the covert special ops group that conducted the rescue of Professor Emmerich was attacked and destroyed by a force consisting of ZAFT special ops soldiers and Eurasian Federation soldiers. The attack happened when one of our soldiers defected and led the attack to steal the data we had collected from Emmerich about Metal Gear NEO, the codename of the machine your son was building. According to eyewitness accounts the man responsible for the attack and the deflection was a Eurasia Federation General named Villám Sadique, according to intelligence he is in charge of a faction within Eurasia that seeks to break away from the Alliance and ally their country with ZAFT in an effort to end the Atlantic Federation's dominance over them."

"The Liberation Faction, yes I heard of them. Tell me, who was this soldier."

"Her name is Samira, she is a living legend, and she fought during the Reconstruction war and was among those who ended the war. Your country knows her as Noir Fox."

"You mean…THE Noir Fox, the mother of the Cobra unit? Then she was unfrozen I take it." Bruno answered as his expression showed how surprised he was.

"Yes she is the one, and according to our eye witness she was planning to go after the weapon your son was creating with Sadique's help."

"So you are telling me that Noir Fox was the one who kidnapped my son?"

"We cannot know for certain, but only Fox was the only other person who knew our agent was in South America. We believe she used it as a chance to grab your son and then place the blame on our agent to cover the whole thing up."

"I see, so now that we have established that you did have an agent in our country that was in clear violation between the treaties of our nations I have a request for your government. Refuse and I will inform the rest of the Alliance of Orb's actions. I have more than evidence use against you. Unless you want your country caught up in a political scandal which may incite our military to seek revenge against your country, I want your corporation."

"What is your request?" Uzumi asked as his face displayed an expression showing that he wasn't happy with the situation.

"About two days ago our nuclear weapons storage facility on Shadow Moses Island, just off the coast of Fox Archipelago, Alaska. An unknown group of armed invaders took control of the facility and claim that they have my son being held hostage along with a few important members of our country along with the threat of a nuclear strike. Although the idea of a nuclear strike is ridiculous with Neutron Jammers worldwide, but we would like the hostages and my son if he is among them to be rescued."

"Then why doesn't the Alliance send in there own men to rescue them, clearly the president of the Atlantic Federation."

Bruno cut Uzumi off remarking, "The President is among the hostages, and he was going to the installation to be there at a special unveiling of the weapon you mentioned my son was creating. Among the hostages are William Baker, the President of our secret Military Soldier Systems Center where some of our advance technology is developed and Secretary of Defense Robert Hagerman. They demanded nine hundred billion dollars and the Atlantic Federation to step down from the commanding head of the Alliance."

"I see, and needless to say that they have threatened that they will kill them if an attempt to rescue them is made. They even claim they have nuclear launch capability, but we scoffed at the idea."

"However, if a ZAFT Special Forces unit is involved it could be possible they may have something to negate the effects of an N-Jammer."

"True, we are considering that as a possibility since the PLANTs did create the N-Jammer. We spoke to Supreme Chairman Clyne in an attempt to find out, but he has told us that his country denies any involvement in the affair. He believes this may be a work of members of the political extremist faction within the PLANTs gone rouge. He was willing to offer assistance, but we believe it may not be required. He was however nice enough to provide information on the men making up the group, and what equipment they may be armed with."

"How well defended has the facility become since the take over?"

"Now that there are six GINNs, three GINN Insurgent Types, and four DINNs for aerial patrol, two GOOhNs and one ZnO for underwater patrol along with one CGUE as a commanding unit, I say the base has been transformed into a fortress. I am not even including the defenses the base already possessed before the takeover. The base possessed a number of linear gun placements, railgun and missile placements, a network of anti-aircraft countermeasures and a sophisticated network of sensors and sonar scanners."

"So you want us to somehow neutralize the terrorist threat."

"Not your country directly, but we want your best agent, the same one who broke into our facility in South America and extracted Professor Emmerich. I will disposal of all evidence we have connecting you to what happened in South America and this latest incident in exchange for your agent to go into Shadow Moses, stop the terrorists and rescue the hostages. Your agent has full permission from our government to use whatever means to eliminate them as long as the hostages survive. The President and my son must survive, and most importantly I want Noir Fox and General Sadique executed. If you are successful then your country will have proved its innocence and you can remain to be neutral, but fail and Orb will be recognized as an enemy of Earth. Do I make myself clear? Your agent will have seventy-six hours to complete the mission, which is deadline for the ransom."

"I understand Mr. Azrael; I'll prepare to send our agent to Shadow Moses tomorrow evening."

"Good, I'll send one of our country's officers to meet you half way; he'll give you the necessary details to assist you with infiltrating the facility. I leave the disposal of this situation entirely to your discretion, Lord Uzumi."

Returning to the present, Char was still sitting down as he went to explain. "To put it simply, you need to infiltrate Shadow Moses, rescue the Atlantic Federation President, Muruta Azrael and other hostage including eliminating the terrorist threat to prove Orb's innocence."

"And eliminating Noir Fox ourselves will prove Orb's innocence?"

"Right, the higher-ups have decided that you're the only one capable of pulling this off. You were her last apprentice. Screw this one up, and we'll both be six feet under. There's no choice. So what will it be?"

Andrius thought about it for a moment, but when the memories of Noir Fox's betrayal flooded into his mind. His fists tightened in anger, he shot Char a look and told him. "Where is my equipment? I'll take the mission." Char didn't say a word as he got up and walked over to the door. He opened it and signaled to one of the soldiers outside who handed him a large black briefcase.

"The plane leaves in twenty minutes, a submarine is already lurking near the island. We'll travel by hydroplane and arrive later tonight. Your usual sneaking suit and the usual equipment are in there, but I have decided to provide you with something other than a tranquilizer gun. Get dressed." With that Char left the room.

Meanwhile elsewhere in the world at a hidden location, a man was sitting behind a desk watching a satellite image of Shadow Moses Island. The shadows of the room, despite the light from the monitor, hid the man and from view. The image changed showing him a zoomed in image of the facility located on the island. Suddenly a beeping sound was heard as the man reached and pushed a button on his desk.

"Yes." The image on the wall he was watching disappeared and the face of Vamp appeared on the monitor. "Report Vamp" the figure asked.

"The star of the show has been pulled from the base before it could be destroyed, by now he should be on his way to Shadow Moses."

"Good, but have you arrived at Shadow Moses yet?"

"I am already inside the facility; no one is aware of my presence."

"Excellent, maintain a low profile until Solidus arrives. From there I want you to maintain a wait and see approach. Observe his movements, and when you decide the time is right, gauge the boy's fighting skills."

"You mean fight him?"

"Precisely, kill him if you feel like he isn't worthy to live up the destiny we have given him. Let him live if you are certain is he is worthy to live as a warrior. I'll leave it to your discretion."

"I understand."

The two ended their conversation, as the man in the shadows was satisfied with the orders he had given, everything was now in motion. Hours later, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, just twenty miles off the coast of Shadow Moses, an Earth Alliance transport submarine was silently moving towards Shadow Moses. Inside the torpedo room at the bow of the ship, Andrius was standing with Representative Char. Char had chosen to don an Orb Union uniform with rank of Colonel on it. Andrius on the other hand was wearing his usual sneaking suit, equipment belt with added ammo pouches, and a survival knife; however instead of a tranquilizer gun he was given a pistol.

His new weapon, a M1911A1, but unlike the original weapon his was an expertly crafted and customized weapon, equipped with a suppressor. Another slight change to Andrius's attire was that he was wearing the black bandana Fox had worn. Three Alliance officers were standing next to Char, while two submarine crew members were standing ready to load one of their torpedo launchers with a swimmer delivery vehicle once Snake mounts it. One of the officers standing with Char was an older looking man with rust color hair. He carried the rank of general on his uniform as he began to address the young Orb agent.

"Remember your mission objectives: first you must rescue Muruta Azrael and the President and see to it that they escape the island. Then you are to eliminate the terrorist presence along with General Sadique and any traitors with him. Further more, if they have somehow managed to make Metal Gear NEO combat worthy and capable of launching a nuclear attack then either destroy it or capture it. You are free to use whatever means necessary, but it is important that Mr. Azrael and the President get out of there alive."

"Don't forget to eliminate Big Boss." Char reminded.

"Big Boss?"

"Yes, Noir Fox changed her name to the name belonging to the greatest soldier of the twentieth century. That is the name she is being referred to by the terrorists." General Sutherland answered.

"I heard of him, Noir always told me stories about him. That man was her idol."

"So you know of him."

"Yeah"

"Good, now once we launch you on your SDV once we bring the sub within close proximity of the island. But since underwater mobile suits are watching the island we'll have to bring you within ten miles of the island. You'll take the SDV as far as you can go. Ditch it, and then from there continue to Shadow Moses Island on your own."

"Swim ten miles in sub-zero Alaskan water, easy enough."

"Sorry, but we can't risk a HALO jump this time around, but your Sneaking Suit will protect you from the sub-zero temperatures; it has been designed and constructed with the latest poly-thermal technology. You'll be nice and toasty during your long swim; we have altered the ammo pouches and equipment pockets to protect your equipment from freezing on you. Here" Char handed Solidus a pair of flippers and a backpack carrying a pair of oxygen tanks. Solidus took them. "Now the shot we gave you back in Orb before we left held an anti-freezing peptide combined with a dosage of Nootropics and Benzedrine."

"Nice." Solidus smiled as he sat down to put on the flippers.

"Nootropics and Benzedrine?" A soldier asked.

"Nootropics; it is a type of drugs which will help improve his mental functioning. Benzedrine is a type of stimulant. The one we gave him is a more improved and refined version; it'll keep him alert and responsive for four days straight hours. The drug has been worked on to the point where there will be little chances of him suffering from any side-effects or becoming addicted to it."

"My nanomachines are still operating at peek capability." Solidus commented.

"Excellent"

"Nanomachines?" Sutherland asked.

"Standard procedure, all FOXHOUND field operatives are injected with nanomachines into their bloodstreams when they become official agents. However he isn't just given one type of nanomachines, but a different variety. There are kinds that replenish the body's supply of adrenaline, nutrition and sugar in the bloodstream. However we have special nanomachines that are also able to provide a form of communication as well unitizing the codec the agent carries."

"Interesting"

"It works well with all of our agents, no side effects although some first timers are a little surprised by its effects at first." Char explained to Sutherland.

"When I arrive at the island I'll contact you by codec." Solidus said as he put on the SCUBA mask he was provided covering his head and neck completely while a soldier attached the oxygen supply hose to the tanks on his back. The goggles he would be using were built into the mask and were made from the same material as Solidus Snake's sneaking suit.

"Colonel Sliver was killed during the attack on our HQ so General Sutherland and I will be commanding this mission jointly. Mr. Tech and Nana will be part of your support team as well along with Professor Emmerich as an assistant technical consultant to Mr. Tech to provide you new information on any advance weapons you may encounter on that island from mobile suits down to Metal Gear NEO if the enemy decides to use it against you or us. He'll give you advice on the best tactics to bring them down."

"Good, I might need it."

"This is it Solidus, the time has come to show your patriotism. Fuck this one up and you'll be back in that ICU awaiting execution."

"I understand; the mission will be the usual. My other weapons and equipment will be OSP (On Site Procurement)? No support?"

"Correct." Char answered.

"Actually, there might be a chance your agent may find some support."

"What do you mean?" Char asked him.

"Shortly after the base was taken over, we received a burst transmission from a small group of our soldiers that had managed to avoid getting killed or captured. After the terrorist had begun taking control of the base they attempted to retake it, but their efforts were fruitless. Because there was another factor we didn't count on destroyed them."

"Another factor?" Char asked.

"Yes, it seems according to the descriptions the remaining survivors gave us we believe that Noir Fox has somehow reunited with her former unit, the Cobra Unit."

"The Cobra Unit, but how, they should have died from old age." Solidus spoke as he was surprised by this turn of events.

"It seems like that they must have gone into a cryogenic slumber as well. Whoever had placed them in it and why we don't know? But we have confirmation that they are on the island, and they destroyed the last few soldiers we had stationed there to oppose the terrorists save for three. During the fight, once we realized what they were up against we ordered anyone still alive to get out of there and hide themselves until the agent from Orb arrives to deal with them. Only three of the thirty remaining soldiers survived that hell."

"I see." Char replied with a nod.

"Appropriate we have dubbed this operation as Operation Snake Eater, since you'll be most likely challenging the Fox's legendary Cobra Unit. As for the survivors, we figured your agent here might be able to use them to assist in the mission in whatever ways are available. Once you arrive on the island we'll contact them and have them meet you at concealed location. The password will be _who are the Patriots_ and their answer will be _La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo_."

"La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo got it." Solidus replied as he began to climb aboard the small craft.

"Good luck and remember to contact us when you arrive." Char informed him.

"Yes sir" Solidus answered as he saluted right before the two Alliance soldiers loaded him into the torpedo tube and locked him inside.

"Are you sure the boy can handle it? Coordinator or not, even I doubt he can pull this off."

"Noir Fox wasn't the only person who taught him a thing or two, when she wasn't training him I taught him a thing or two myself. The title of Fox is a codename we award to those who are the best of the best field agents in FOXHOUND, and because it was a codename Fox bestowed upon herself during her days in the Reconstruction War. Since it belonged the greatest soldier of her time we thought it would be a fitting rank for the best agent in FOXHOUND. Snake is the rank below FOX, but by the time the mission is through Solidus will succeed."

"You sound certain of yourself."

"I am more than that, it's in his blood to succeed and to make the impossible possible. You'll see." Char replied as he began grinning while he left Sutherland looking at him strangely.


	7. Chapter 7 Operation Snake Eater

Chapter 7

Operation Snake Eater

Three hours later, Solidus Snake, after swimming ten miles under sub-zero Alaskan waters arrived at the Shadow Moses facility. More specifically he arrived at the lower dock specially made for military patrol boats. About twenty feet away from the dock, from the cold icy waters, Solidus poked his head up and took a look around, he searched for a place to climb out and remove his scuba gear.

From his vantage point, he saw three ports for a total of three ships to dock at with the usual set up. There was space for several crates containing supplies and weapons scattered around the dock, Solidus spotted a forklift near a large freight elevator. Lastly, but not unexpected, he saw a couple sentries patrolling the dock.

They wore high quality body armor, along with white battle uniform dress designed specially for use in cold weather to keep them from freezing to death out there. The weapons they carried were no doubt assault rifles with a pistol as a side arm, or at least that is what Solidus expected them to have, but he wouldn't know what type until he could get a closer look.

He ducked back down underwater and swam towards the far left hand side of the docks were he saw a stack of crates near the edge of the water that he could use to remove his scuba equipment from so he could begin utilizing his Optical Stealth Camouflage. Solidus knows he wouldn't be able to rely on his camouflage throughout the whole mission since Fox would probably have vital areas of the facility guarded by sentries wearing thermal goggles enabling them to see him. However, he could at least put it to use right now to get into the facility.

Slowly he reached the edge of the dock, and raised his head out of the water to look around, when he saw no one looking his way, Solidus climbed out of the water and moved behind the crates before the sentry closest to him could turn around. Solidus hurried with the removal of his scuba equipment and disposal of it by dropping it into the water slowly so that he wouldn't draw attention from the guards. Solidus placed one hand on his neck and began nanocommunication with his CO.

"Colonel, I am in. I have arrived at Shadow Moses by means of the lower dock just south of the main entrance."

"Excellent work" Char congratulated.

"I see you survived the swim." Sutherland commented.

"The water was a little nippy, but my suit kept me nice and toasty." Snake mused.

"Well now that you have reached land, head up the freight elevator and proceed towards the facility itself." Char ordered. "You have your 45 ready?"

"Yeah, it's a nice gun."

"Be careful don't get trigger happy, although you are on an official mission for the Orb and Atlantic Federation Government. But remember, this is still a sneaking mission. Snake, if you fail this mission, it will mean Orb will be declared an enemy of the Alliance and drawn into the war as an enemy of earth. With that in mind, proceed with extreme caution."

"Roger that sir, but what should I call you two in terms of codenames?"

"Oh right, we'll need codenames since there is a possibility the enemy could be listening in. Let us I'll call myself…how about Major Tom, that name heard in that old song, _ground control to Major Tom_. I don't remember the name, but I'll use that." Char suggested.

"I didn't think much about it, but why not just refer to me as…General Roosevelt."

"General Roosevelt and Major Tom got it."

"Now Snake we have contacted the trio and told them to meet you in the basement of the facility's linear tank hanger. You should be able to get inside the hanger after you reached the elevator. From there find a way down into the basement where they store extra supplies. Sentry activity down there is virtually non-existent so it should be just them down there." Sutherland explained.

"Understood, commencing Operation Snake Eater." Snake replied as he shut off his codec and engaged his Optical Sheath Camouflage. He moved slowly towards the elevator, but was careful to avoid drowning attention. Although he was invisible to them, but since the area close to the elevator was well lit up by overhead lamps a faint outline of him could be seen. If he moved too quickly he could risk guards noticing him.

One guard was approaching the elevator and so Solidus halted his movements as the guard passed him. Standing a few inches away from him, Solidus was able to get an up close look at the sentry and his equipment. The sentry was armed with an updated version of an AKS-74u, a couple of standard military explosive grenades, with some stun grenades and finally a regular pistol if he used up the ammo from his rifle, but the sentry was carrying extra ammo in pouches on his chest.

The sentry pushed the button on the elevator before turning around to his fellow guard to ask him "Hey Bob, after I send down the next shift do you want anything heated up for you at the lounge?" The other guard turned to him and thought about the question for a moment.

"See if we any of that Supreme Pizza left, and get a cup of coffee ready for me when I head over there when the new shift arrives."

"Alright Joe see you in fifteen."

The elevator's doors opened and the guard stepped inside with Solidus following right behind him. He stayed in a corner behind the guard as the sentry was humming a tune to himself. Entering the facility was easy enough Solidus thought, but he knew it would only get tougher along the way.

Before the elevator neared the top, Solidus overhead an announcement of some kind on the sentry's radio as it declared "Attention all sentries, we have confirmation of an intruder." Solidus's heart skipped a beat, did they somehow discover he was here or did someone infiltrated the island and is now lurking around. "The intruder has been identified as some kind of ninja armed with a sword and a knife wearing an unknown type of field equipment. All units on duty stay alert; the intruder has already slain seven people."

_A ninja?_ Solidus thought, as he didn't recall being informed that someone else was going to be present on the island especially someone dressed as a ninja.

Throughout the duration of the ride, Solidus kept an eye on the sentry until the elevator doors opened at the top of the shaft. Like before he followed the sentry off the elevator, only this time they exited from the opposite side, and followed him across a short trek through a snow-covered field towards a pair of large hanger doors. From where he stood, Solidus saw a good portion of the facility; it had two tall ten story towers with a large communication's dish sitting on top, and two five story buildings behind the towers.

Solidus couldn't see much more of the facility from where he was, but he knew that it covered nearly the whole island. He followed the sentry into the hanger where he saw two rows of four linear tanks facing one another. Solidus moved away from the guard and ducked behind the first tank on the left hand side.

Solidus Snake carefully searched the area for any signs of activity while planning his next move. The invisible infiltrator eyed a hallway at the far corner of the room on the left side of the room. When no one was looking in his direction he hurried over to the hallway. It was a short stroll down before coming to a door leading to another area of the hanger while next to it was an elevator.

When he saw no one around he pushed the button and waited for the elevator to come. It took a couple minutes, but when the doors opened, the invisible infiltrator stepped inside and pushed the button that would send him down to the second floor of the basement below. The doors closed and began to descend down the shaft while a soothing tune was playing on a pair of overhead speakers. It didn't take long for the elevator to reach the bottom, and thankfully no one boarded the elevator on his way down otherwise Solidus's chances of being discover would have been high, especially if a group of sentries suddenly decided to assemble inside the elevator.

Without wasting a moment, Solidus hurried off the elevator and started down the hall searching for the supply room where the three Alliance soldiers who had managed to survive to this point were hiding. It took some time, but since there were no guards posted on this floor, Solidus was able to move through the basement floor and locate the supply room.

Drawing his customized M1911A1 from its hostler, Solidus stepped into the supply room slowly. He cautiously advanced into the room scanning every nook and cranny with each step he took. Finally he found a trio of youngsters hiding behind a large pile of boxes, they were alert and looking around for the person who had entered the room, but thanks to the lack of lighting in this room, they couldn't the outline of his body.

He eyed the trio trying to figure out if these were the three soldiers who survived the battle against Noir Fox's Cobra unit. The tallest one of the trio: was of possible British background with pale green hair and yellow eyes, the second one had light blue hair with blue eyes. The second young man may possibility be of German ethnicity, but the last one was a female with blonde hair, and violet red eyes. He was unable to determine what ethnic background she was from, but all three of them were about two years younger than he was.

There was only one way to find out. "Who are the Patriots?" Solidus asked as he startled them.

"Who the hell?" The blue haired youth asked.

"Who are the Patriots?" Solidus repeated.

"Shut up Auel!" The green haired youth snapped "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo."

"Then you three are the survivors command told me about." Solidus answered.

"Then you must be the agent from Orb the General told us about."

"Where the hell are you?" Auel Neider shouted.

"Heh" Solidus deactivated his Stealth Camouflage revealing himself to the trio. "That would be me, Solidus Snake of Orb High-Tech Special Forces unit codenamed FOXHOUND."

"Ensign Sting Oakley of 12th Special Deployment Force unit." Sting informed him before he went around introducing his fellow teammates. "This is Auel Neider and Stellar Loussier of the same unit and rank."

"You guys seem kinda young for a special unit."

"Well look who's talking." Auel mocked.

"I suppose to have survived a run in with Noir Fox's elite Cobra unit you three have to be something."

"You got that right buddy."

"I'll notify the higher ups that I found and made contact with you three." Solidus knelt down on one leg and placed one hand on his neck as he commenced nanocommunications. A moment later he heard Sutherland and Char's voice on the codec. "Sir, I have found the three soldiers and made contact. They're alright."

"Excellent." Sutherland commented.

"Good work Solidus."

"Any Intel on where Azrael and the President are located?"

"We're not sure, but according to what we have gathered it is a likely possibility that they are keeping them somewhere inside the main administration building." Sutherland explained.

"Better gather some intelligence to get confirmation before proceeding. Remember get the President and Azrael out first along with the other VIP hostages." Char advised.

"Roger that, but sir I have something I should report."

"Go ahead." Sutherland asked.

"During my entry into the facility I overheard an announcement being broadcast on the enemy's radios. According to them there is another intruder here besides me, armed with a sword. Some kind of ninja according to eyewitness judging by the field equipment they saw the infiltrator wearing."

"A ninja." Char exclaimed.

"Based on the announcement I heard, he has already killed seven people."

"I see, gather what you can on this ninja if you find anything then report it. As far as we know you should be our only agent on the island. We weren't told about any other attempts to infiltrate the island by anyone else except you. Do you have that digital camera I gave you?" Char asked.

"Yeah"

"Use it to get a picture of the ninja if you run into him, and then transmit it to us. We'll try to identify this new player on our end."

"Got it"

Sutherland stepped in and added to the conversation. "But with this Ninja lurking about the enemy will probably begin tightening security around the facility; you and the others better get moving. Get some better weapons and equipment for our three soldiers. They are ordered to follow your commands as if they were taking them from me. I doubt they'll give you trouble."

"What kind of experience do they have?"

"They have been well trained in hand-to-hand combat, handling of most weapons, and piloting mobile suits. They were being trained for special OPS missions so they should be workable for you." Sutherland explained.

"That should work; I'll dispatch of some guards so they could disguise themselves in their uniforms and take their weapons."

"Understood" Sutherland said as they ended communications with Solidus. Solidus turned to the three and laid out his plan to them. "Alright, you three stay here while I go and knock out some guards and bring them here so you can field strip them and disguise yourselves as enemy sentries allowing you to move through the base a little easier."

"What the hell for?"

"Shut up Auel, we got a job to do. That job was to take orders from him." Sting said as he scolded his comrade.

"Another reason is that I found out there is another intruder in here besides me. Some short of ninja according to what I overheard from the guards. With that in mind, they will be most likely tightening security around here in response so we can't stay here. We got to get moving, and unless you feel like endangering the President and Mr. Azrael I suggest you stop second guessing me." Solidus explained. "I won't be long." Solidus rose up to his feet and reactivated his camouflage.

He left the room and turned back towards the elevator, but when he almost reached the doors. They opened up and four enemy sentries stepped out followed by a Eurasian Federation Solider wearing a black uniform with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. The young man wore a black beret on his head, but his boots were a little strange for an officer of the Alliance. His boots had spurs; the kind cowboys of the old west had worn. In his hand, he was twirling a pistol in his hand. But that what didn't surprise Solidus; the young man was the same age as he was, but most shocking of all…he looked identical to him. The only differences were that he had white hair and a paler complexion.

"Commander" One of the soldiers asked looking at the young man leading them. "Where do you want to begin our search?"

"Check the supply rooms first, but stay on your toes. I hear this ninja is one hell of a fighting. It brought down one of our GINNs our ZAFT friends brought in with only its sword."

_Brought down a GINN with only a sword, damn that is one hell of a feat if what they are saying is true. _Solidus thought as he wondered who or what this ninja really was.

"We'll start with this room over there." The gun twirling commander suggested, thankfully it wasn't the room where Sting and the others were hiding in, but Solidus had to take them out before they are discovered. He pulled back behind a corner and deactivated his camouflage long enough to don a leatherhead shroud meant to compliment his suit. His face was nearly concealed completely, but only his eyes uncovered. Reactivating his camouflage he went into the room after them.

The supply room they were in was a little large than the one Sting and his friends were hiding in, but there were fewer crates around the room, but there was plenty of open space to move around in. The enemy sentries were ahead of him while the commander who bore a strong likeness to him was taking point.

He would have to take them out quickly; Solidus would have to kill them with a quick head shot to each one before the other had a chance to react. He readied his knife next to the handle of his gun and prepared himself to open fire. He took aim at the sentry, closet to him and pulled the trigger blowing his brains out. As the other sentries were alerted as the body of their comrade was falling to the ground. By the time they turned around and fired their weapons in their direction behind them, Solidus took another sentry with another shot to the head.

Solidus drove to the left and rolled behind some crates containing extra food such as watermelons, apples, lettuce and oranges. The soldiers were busy unloading their clips against the closed door behind them, Solidus poked his head out from behind the pile of boxes and picked off took more sentries leaving Solidus and the EA Lieutenant Commander against one another.

However, during the commotion, the Commander managed to seek refuge behind some crates; it seemed this man was no fool. Before Solidus could act a grenade was thrown out from behind a pile of crates, it detonated sending chaf and creating a powerful electronic interference wave that was strong enough to cause his Optical Camouflage to start shorting out. Solidus realized with the chaf grenade in effect, his camouflage would be rendered useless until the effect died out.

"Optical Stealth Camouflage, not bad. But with that chaf grenade you'll have to fight me face to face without your invisible cloak." The commander called out as he fired two shots from his pistol at the crates Solidus was hiding behind. The bullets penetrated the boxes sending bits of fruit and vegetables on top of Solidus. Acting quickly he poked his head out from behind the crates and fired a few shots at the area where the enemy commander was hiding. A laugh came from the corner of the room where he heard "Not bad, that last one nearly hit me. Now I'll show you why they call me Shalashaska!" The man stepped out from his hiding place and fired a bullet at the ceiling, but it ricocheted off one of the metal ceiling heading straight down towards Solidus.

Realizing the danger at the last second, Solidus rolled to the left to evade the bullet, but Shalashaska fired another shot ricocheting it off the wall to the left. After coming dangerously close to hitting him again, Solidus brought his gun up and deflected the bullet with the side of his gun while he was on the ground. Another bullet bounced off the ceiling above and was heading downward to strike him, but Solidus evaded it when he used both hands to launch himself into the air and performing an aerial flip. He was back on both feet standing up right, facing down Shalashaska. Both men had their guns aimed at the other.

"I am the best gunfighter Eurasia has to offer. I don't care who you are, but you're as good as dead."

"We'll see." Solidus said as he fired a shot at the same time Shalashaska pulled the trigger. Three more shots were sent flying at Solidus after his bullet missed Shalashaska, but like the others they all ricocheted off the walls at different angles; each one came dangerous close to striking Solidus. The bullets missed by only half a centimeter, and Solidus evaded them by jumping across the room and rolling to the right to seek cover behind some crates at another corner of the room.

Shalashaska removed the empty clip from his pistol and reloaded it with a fresh clip, but he removed the first bullet from the top of the clip before inserting it into the gun. Solidus was back on his feet; however he knew that if he didn't end the fight now then he would probably end up getting killed. Solidus turned and rushed straight at Shalashaska with both hands ready after putting his gun away to seize the gunfighter. He was within a few inches of his foe when Shalashaska was ready to fire.

"This is where it ends." But when Shalashaska pulled the trigger to fire, his gun jammed on him. "What?" Not wishing to risk allowing the gunfighter to have a second chance to correct his mistake. Solidus punched his enemy in the face while knocking his gun from his hand before driving his left foot into the back of his right leg brining him to his knees followed up by a kick to the face that knocked Shalashaska sending to the floor. Now their positions had reserved and Shalashaska was on the ground lying on his back. The gun landed on the ground a few feet away, and the jammed bullet was ejected from the weapon.

"Impossible!"

"You ejected the first bullet by hand, didn't you? I see what you were trying to do." Solidus said as he recognized the technique he was attempting. He had heard it was a technique used by guerilla fighters in the Middle East as a means to ensure that even if a clip was full; by loading the first bullet into the gun by hand would ensure that you would never fire a gun without having to worry about it being empty. "But testing a technique you only heard about in the middle of battle wasn't very smart. You were asking to have your gun jam on you. Besides, I don't think you're cut out for an automatic in the first place. You tend to twist your elbow to absorb the recoil. That's more of a revolver technique." Solidus noted as he observed his movements during the battle. Didn't quite understand why, but a strange feeling he felt within him urged him to point out his mistakes to him.

"You fucking bastard!" Solidus's foe jumped back up to his feet, but while at the same time he drew a knife from his belt, but Solidus poked him in the eyes with his fingers before grabbing his arm and twisting it until he dropped the knife. Solidus then grabbed him and ran him into the wall behind him. Shalashaska was back on the ground again.

"But I'll hand it to you; that was some fancy shooting, you are pretty good. If you weren't so vain you might have had me."

"Pretty good" Shalashaska muttered while looking up at Solidus before he lost consciousness and passed out. Solidus could have killed him, but something stopped him. A feeling of some kind, so he pulled the enemy commander's body and hid it behind some crates. A second later, Sting followed by Auel and Stellar arrived inside the room.

"What happened here?" Sting asked as he saw the dead guards on the ground.

"Things got a little messy; these guys came down here looking for the ninja." Solidus answered as he walked up to the nearest soldier and began checking him, trying to figure out his measurements so he would know which of the three teens with him could fit the BDU best. "Say, what are your measurements?" Solidus asked.

"Why?" Auel asked.

"So he can know which of these guard's uniforms might be a good fit for us." Sting answered.

"I think we might be a little short for them."

"True, but it might still help in avoiding a firefight as long as we can. At least long enough until we can get a fix on Azrael, the President and the other hostages location."

"Alright" Auel commented as the blue haired youth knelt down, and began checking out the guard closet to him to see if his uniform and gear would be a close enough fit for him. Solidus turned his head and looked up at the girl lurking by the door.

"Is she alright? She hasn't said a word since I ran into you guys."

"Oh, Stellar, she's fine, but she just doesn't say much if you know what I mean." Sting answered.

"I see; then mind helping me figure out which of the uniforms these guards are wearing might fit her best?"

"Yeah I guess so." The group began working to find the proper uniforms that would fit the three Alliance soldiers best and even find a uniform that would fit Solidus as well just in case if his camouflage would end up being rendered useless again.


	8. Chapter 8 I have no name

A/N: I have fixed errors found on chapters 3 through 7

Chapter 8

I have no name

Shortly after following that gunfight between Shalashaska and Solidus, the group was now moving through the hallway on the third floor of the hanger complex. Stellar, Auel and Sting were now wearing the enemy's uniforms. They were a little baggy, but they picked the uniforms that would fit them best. Solidus had his own change of clothes ready, but he tucked his away for safekeeping. Once they had disposed of the bodies of the sentries Solidus had killed, they left the basement and started their trek through the base.

They were walking over the parked linear tanks inside the hanger on a catwalk that stretched across one side of the hanger to the other. There were four catwalks that spanned over the parked linear tanks as a means for commanding officers to shout orders and oversee the deployment of the tanks or sentries could use them to maintain an eagle eye's view of the hanger.

There were four guards posted on the catwalks above and three more on the balconies connecting them all together. The trio moved across the middle balcony heading towards the right side of the hanger. No one seemed to mind the trio of guards passing through; Solidus believed they probably assumed it was a shift change and they were on their way to relieve another group of guards on duty.

Once they reached the other side without incident they Solidus directed them to a passageway to their left which led out into a connecting passageway that connected the hanger to the facility's barracks where soldiers' armory, sleeping quarters laid through a bridge-like passageway that was used to provide soldiers with a quick means to reach the hanger. There were no soldiers patrolling the connecting passageway between the two buildings, so the group hurried through the passageway cautiously until they reached the next building. They entered the garrison and found that there was a pair of soldiers watching the hallways along with a camera at one end of the hallway.

The trio along with an invisible Solidus proceeded down the right hand side of the hall as they candidly walked passed the sentry. The sentry turned and looked at them for a moment, but shrugged his shoulders and continued his patrol. The group turned right at the corner and continued down the hall passing by entrances into soldier quarters and storages before coming to a door that was in their path.

"I don't like this." Solidus commented.

"What is there not to like, this place is cold and miserable." Auel commented.

"I got a bad feeling about what is ahead, so you guys wait it out in there until I scout what is up ahead. You guys have a codec right?"

"Yeah, my frequency is 143.41 and Auel's frequency is one number higher than mines while Stellar's is one number higher than Auel's."

"Roger" Solidus replied as he watched the trio walked into a storage room holding extra food and supplies. Once inside Solidus slowly opened the door and walked inside. He entered what looked like a training room; he was standing on a platform-like balcony that spanned around the room. Below he saw a training mat with some equipment for bodybuilding and exercise moved close the wall.

That was not all he saw down there, on the ground were the bodies of twelve dead soldiers. Solidus pulled out his binoculars and used them to get a closer look at the bodies. From what he could tell by the position of the bodies, the slash marks and the amputated limbs lying near by, those soldiers had been killed with a sword. However, unknown to Solidus he was being watched by someone lurking in the rafters above.

Wearing a pair of thermal goggles, the person lurking on the rafters saw Solidus. Quietly drawing out a katana, a high frequency blade: the figure leapt down towards Solidus. The assassin's blade was raised up above her head preparing to strike. Someone suddenly shouted, "Look out! Above!" Solidus looked up and saw the incoming attack with just enough time to roll to the side and avoided getting his head spilt in two.

Solidus leapt off the platform and landed on the training mat below before deactivating his optical camouflage and looking up at his attacker. She was wearing a Sneaking Suit, but it was different from his own. It was a model he recognized, it was the Skull Suit. From what he recalled about the Skull Suit, it was a fine piece of equipment that utilizes electro fiber technology, a by-product of fiber-optics research completed years ago.

It was made by a material similar to rubber, but protects against a wide range of toxic substances. The suit itself has a wide array of built-in sensors. It has been referred to as Smart Skin in military Research and Development. Data about damage to different regions of the body, including blood loss, is exchanged between the suit and the intravenous nanomachines to create a biofeedback system. The suit also applies varying pressure to major internal organs to maximize performance and safeguard their functions or so Solidus could recall about the suit.

The woman also had a pair of ammo pouches on her left leg with a holster for a Socom Pistol and a special holding place for a survival knife. On her back was a special stealth for a HF blade she wielded. He couldn't see her face since she wore a tight leather veil that covered her mouth and her nose. She had long gray hair and was wearing thermal goggles over her eyes. _Was she the one who killed these soldiers? _Solidus asked himself as he readied his gun and knife. The agent from Org fired off a round at the female blade wielder, but the woman effortlessly deflected every bullet with her sword.

Taking into account his gun is useless against her; he prepares himself for a deadly melee fight with the woman. _A Gorgeous woman, and deadly with sword, can't be good. _Solidus thought as the woman came straight at him. Solidus stood firm as he managed to use his knife to parry the woman's first strike, he soon found himself on the defensive. His female opponent could only be described as moving faster than lightning; Solidus was barely able to block her rapid fast strikes and swings. _Shit, this woman…what the hell, I never encounter anyone who moved with such reflexes and speed. Her movements are comparable to Noir Fox. _

Before he realized it, a kick in the stomach sent Solidus flying a couple off feet. Before the female assassin could attack him, he rolled up and jumped back up to his feet just in time to deflect a possible deathblow with his knife. _No doubt this woman, she is definitely a coordinator. Could she be one of those rumored combat coordinators I heard the EA has? _Solidus thought as he parried another series of blows from the woman.

When the female assassin attempted another swing Solidus caught the blade with his survival knife before kicking her away to strike back with his knife, although the woman evaded any chance of receiving an injury from the young soldier. However, a thin cut appeared across the woman's left thigh after barely somersaulting away.

Enraged the woman rushed at Solidus again, but when she took a swing at his waist, the young soldier blocked the strike with his knife again. He continued parry the woman's attacks, blow after blow. Both combatants were trapped in a stalemate as neither one of them could overpower the other.

"You're good. Are you one of the Cobras?" Solidus asked.

"No, I am called Nil." The woman answered coldly.

"I'll give you credit Nil, you're as good as you look."

The woman didn't say much more, but they were interrupted by the sound of a man standing on the platform above them. He was wearing a combat helmet and some body armor while under it was an Earth Alliance uniform. He pointed a FAMAS assault rife at the woman after shouting. "Get down!"

Solidus backed away as the man on the platform above unloaded a clip at the young woman, but like before when Solidus had fired on her, Nil deflected every bullet with her sword effortlessly. Seizing the moment to end the battle, Solidus threw his knife and struck Nil in the left shoulder. "Don't ever turn your attention away from an enemy you're fighting." Solidus remarked as the blade struck home.

The woman didn't cry or yell out in pain, she barely noticed the wound. She turned her attention to the blade struck in her arm and pulled the knife out before throwing it back at Solidus, who caught it in-between his fingers before it could hit him in the face. Wounded light, the young woman suddenly began to place one hand on her head as she said to herself. "Damn my time is up." Without another word, Nil rushed out of the room through a door behind her.

Once she was gone, Solidus quickly retrieved his gun and pointed it at the Alliance solider. "Don't shoot I am not an enemy." The solider held up his weapon keeping the barrel pointed at the ceiling. He calmly walked to a small stairwell and walked down to the bottom to join Solidus. He dropped his weapon and removed his combat helmet. He was an elderly looking man, Solidus guessed possibility around his early or late seventies, he had green eyes, grayish white hair with a light beard and mustache, and his face was startlingly familiar to Solidus somehow.

"Identity yourself"

"I am" The man paused for a moment "Pliskin. Iroquois Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade."

"How did you avoid getting captured or killed?"

"I got trapped inside one of the storage rooms when all hell broke loose, by the time I managed to get out I found the enemy had the base completely under their control. So I decided to lay low until the situation changed or until I could hook up with the retaliation force aimed at taking this facility back." Pliskin explained as he examined Solidus carefully.

"That suit, what are you a Special Forces operative?"

"Not exactly, I am a special agent of the Orb Union covert high-tech special forces group codenamed FOXHOUND."

"FOXHOUND?" The man exclaimed, as he seemed surprised in more ways than one at the mention of FOXHOUND. "Then the situation here must be pretty bad to bring in a agent from another country. How good are you?"

"I have handled more than eleven sneaking missions, fourteen HALO jumps, did sixteen weeks of battlefield survival and a couple lone wilderness marches. I can speak five different languages. I can spend all day going on and on, but I have seen some action. I can assure you I am no rookie."

"Didn't need to tell me kid, I saw your little fight with that femme fatale. You don't have the eyes of a rookie either." Pliskin remarked as he locked glances with Solidus.

"Do you know anything about the President or Azrael?" Solidus asked him.

"No, like I told you I was out of action for awhile. Based on what I heard before the takeover the President was over inside the weapons lab with a few other VIPs."

"The weapons lab is where Metal Gear NEO is?"

"Metal Gear" Pliskin was also surprised by this bit of news although he tired to hide it with an expression displaying he knew nothing about it. "I knew there was something big under development inside the weapons lab, but just what the hell is a Metal Gear."

"This machine is based off the myth of Metal Gear which according to my knowledge is a bipedal tank capable of launching nuclear missiles from any type of terrain. The Alliance has renewed interest in this myth so they are attempting to create their own. Although NEO isn't a bipedal tank per say, but rather an unconventional tank crossed with a mobile armor with some high-class weaponry incorporated into its design. According to our techs this machine is some kind of test bed for new technologies too."

"Unconventional tank"

"Well I think they tried to create a bipedal tank, but couldn't create a working operating system to make the machine capable of operating since the Alliance is having enough trouble with attempts to develop their own mobile suits to counter ZAFT machines, like the ones you probably saw outside patrolling the island."

"Yeah, but what is an agent from another country doing in this little pleasant corner of the world?" Pliskin asked sarcastically.

"Lets just here I am here because of two reasons, blackmail and one of the leading terrorists here is my former mentor, Noir Fox."

"Noir Fox?"

"Yeah, she was the highest ranking member of our FOXHOUND unit and its co-founder along with Representative Char my second mentor. She was also a legendary hero during the last world war called the Reconstruction War. I am second in rank to her, but I was her last student before she" Solidus had a hard time saying the words "betrayed me and the rest of FOXHOUND, now lot of our members are dead thanks to her. She is now running around calling herself Big Boss, the greatest soldier of the twentieth century."

"Big Boss, I am familiar with him."

"She idolized Big Boss throughout her life, hell she talked me my ear off with stories about him."

"A huge fan of his I take it."

"More or less, but enough chatter I am sure our little fight will have some guards moving towards this location. We'll need to hook back up with Sting and the others before we proceed to the main administration building. We're hoping to either find the hostages or get some clues to their location."

"I see, what exactly your mission objectives are if you don't mind me asking."

"I guess there is no don't in hiding it. First my orders are to ensure the safety and rescues of the President of the Atlantic Federation, Muruta Azrael of the Defense Industry, and a few other VIP hostages. Then I am to ensure the destruction of Metal Gear NEO and finally assassinate Noir Fox and General Villám Sadique of the Eurasia Federation's anti-Atlantic Federation faction."

"You got quite a job ahead of you."

"Indeed, hold on a sec" Solidus commented as he engaged in nanocommunications with Sting by placing one hand on his ear.

"The kid is wired with nanomachines." Pliskin commented as Solidus was asking for Sting and the others to head into the training room he was in to rendezvous and move on. While above them a third person in hiding in the rafters above concealed by an Optical Stealth Camouflage was watching them.

Meanwhile somewhere inside the administration building, Noir Fox was standing in front of a wall of video monitors that displayed images of various areas of the island. Fox was now wearing a new version of the Sneaking Suit she used to wear. It carried over many of the features her old suit used to have, but areas of the body were reinforced with extra padding for better protection. In style design, it was modeled after the CQC enhancer worn by Big Boss when he engaged the rebellious FOX unit. Hanging from her belt at her side was a P90 submachine gun while in a small sheath on her chest near her neck was a CQC knife. She left her hair hanging down, while she eyed the video monitors.

"Qual" Fox called as a man wearing a black and yellow colored Sneaking Suit, the same model Fox was wearing. He had a clean shaven head with brown eyes, but his head was covered in scars that were a result of receiving a number of horrible lacerations from either a wild animal with sharp claws or signs that this man has fought in a number of melee fights against foes armed with only a knife. On his chest, he wore a combat vest that held numerous holding pockets for throwing knives. This melee fighter wore steel gauntlets with three 3-inch long HF blades acting as claws on each hand.

"Boss?"

"Find Andrius and deal with him, but if you come across our other unexpected visitor. Deal with him as well."

"Understood" Without another word, Qual walked out of the room. Another person who entered the room soon joined Fox.

"So the boy is already inside the facility."

"Yes, but it appears that someone else is lurking about as well."

"Shall I go look for him too?"

"No, I need you to head over to the weapons lab and make sure that Metal Gear is safe. Order the men there to tighten security there and inside the administration building. If Qual fails then I want you to deal with our intruders, understood Python?" Fox said as she spoke to her second comrade Python who simply replied with a nod of his pin-covered head.

Inside the garrison, Solidus was in the process of introducing Pliskin to Sting and the others. "Well it seems our chances of getting Azrael and the President of the Atlantic Federation out of this place in one piece have gone up."

"What the hell are you talking about? This old geezer will only slow us down." Auel shouted. "You should be in a retirement home gramps."

"Look I know the guy doesn't look like much, but if he has managed to avoid getting killed or captured then he has got to be skilled, besides we still have that extra uniform we collected he could wear to fit in with our little group. But speaking of which" Solidus looked over his shoulder. "We may not have much time to discuss this, but we'll need to separate up into three groups."

"What?" Sting asked him.

"If we stay all together in one group we'll be caught or killed. If we divide our efforts we can cover more of the base. Even if we find the hostages we are facing two problems aside from the obvious getting them out in one piece, well we have two sub-categories if you will to keep in mind. One what method of transportation we'll use to get them off the island and how we go about taking out the mobile suits patrolling the island and the base's defenses before either one takes out the transport vehicle in question."

"Then what do you propose?" Auel snapped.

"Sting, you and Stellar will look around for a transport vehicle we could secure and use to evacuate the hostages. If things get hairy find some place to hide out and lie low, if you find any information about the hostages contact me via codec." Solidus turned to Auel and Pliskin "You two will try to locate the armory and see if there are any weapons or explosives we can use to aid our attempts."

"What about you?" Pliskin asked him.

"I am going to try and do some reconnaissance around the main administration building and the weapons lab. I'll see if I can find a way in while at the same time see if I can secure a route we can use to move the hostages out through. Once I find a way inside both complexes I can use then I'll contact you guys and rendezvous with you. We'll plan our next move from there."

"Understood, and if we run into any snags we simply find some place to hide out and lie low for awhile." Sting said as he gave Solidus an approving nod.

"Let's move out before anyone comes around in here." Solidus said as he activated his Optical Camouflage and disappeared into the shadows while Sting, Pliskin and the others broke up and left the room through different exits. Once everyone was gone, an invisible figure descended from the rafters above. The man deactivated his optical camouflage and revealed himself.

He was wearing a black and gray ninja exoskeleton type 3.0 with a High Frequency blade in a sheath on his waist with a knife right next to it. The only part of his body that wasn't covered was his mouth while his eyes were covered by a black metal very complicated head display somewhat visor with six small sensor eyes on it. He knelt down and picked up a small slip of paper that seemed to have been left on the ground.

He carefully unfolded it and proceeded to read its contents; once he was done he tore the paper and the disposable of it. The mysterious Ninja reactivated his camouflage and disappeared from sight.


	9. Chapter 9 Qual the Tormentor

1Chapter 9

Qual the Tormentor

Shortly after departing from the training hall at the soldier's barracks, Solidus was currently waking through a snow-covered walkway that led to a warehouse that was just adjacent to the Administration Building and Command Center of the facility. After noticing some frozen water on the pathway, Solidus had to be careful with his steps since there was a possibility that he could slip of the frozen walkway if he rushed through it. He only noticed two guards patrolling the outside area, and judging by a few comments about the weather accompanied by some curse words, it was obvious. They didn't enjoy their outdoor patrol duty.

Snake waited until both guards weren't looking in his direction before he opened the door at the other end of the pathway and entered the warehouse. Once he was inside, Solidus didn't notice any guards around, but he did notice the warehouse was stockpiled with large crates and metal barrels.

He kept close to the wall as he moved about the warehouse and navigated the maze of crates and barrels moving toward the center of the building, but as he did, something caught his eye. A large pile of crates found close to the heart of the warehouse was marked drill bits, underground sensory detection equipment.

_What the heck is equipment used in drilling and detection equipped involved in trying to scan for underground materials doing in a military facility of all places? _Solidus thought as he examined the words marked on the crates.

Suddenly Solidus heard something above him in the rafters. He wasn't alone. Then he jumped backwards just in time to avoid getting struck in the head by a throwing knife. A few more knives were thrown at him from the rafters above forcing him to duck behind some metal barrels. The sound of maniacal laughter was heard resonating throughout the warehouse. A moment later, Qual leapt down from the rafters above to face Solidus Snake.

"You don't look like a Ninja, so you must be Fox's apprentice."

"Who are you?" Solidus shouted while he aimed his 45 at the attacker.

"I am one of the Cobras, Qual the tormentor. Better known to others as the soldier of pain and suffering. We are the children of Noir Fox. Come on, let's get started and see if you are as good as Fox believes." Qual brought his claws together and began scraping them together. He rushed at Solidus while the young solider fired off two shots from his gun at the attacker. Qual effortlessly deflected them with the blades of his claws.

_Damn it, _Solidus thought as he cursed himself while he put away his gun and used his knife to fight off his opponent. Qual attacked with blinding speed and animal-like ferocity, Solidus had to keep his distance while he fought against the man knowing that if he allowed just one of his hands armed with a claw slip by him would mean a strong possibility of receiving a serious injury.

Qual jumped back and threw one of his throwing knives at Solidus, but the young soldier deflected with his own knife. Qual attacked him again from a distance throwing five more in one lightning fast motion, but Solidus managed to deflect most of them or evade them. But one knife came close to striking him when a thin cut appeared the right side of his cheek. Qual readied his claws and rushed the young coordinator once again.

The fight dragged on for a few minutes as both men fought each other, but neither one could land a blow on the other. Despite slight disadvantages, Solidus was doing well against a specialized melee combatant like Qual. However he couldn't keep fighting his opponent like this indefinitely, he had to overcome this disadvantage and end this exchange. After backing away from Qual, Solidus dropped to a CQC stance with his knife held in his right hand and his left hand extended outward.

Qual laughed at him before rushing at his so-called doomed opponent intending to slash him into submission. Using his left-hand Solidus brushed Qual's extended right arm to side while using his knife to block Qual's second attack. Moving along his extended right arm in one forward motion while he rammed his knife into Qual's right arm above his wrist and dragged the knife up to the elbow right before Solidus struck Qual in the back of his knee cap on his right leg, brining the animalistic attacker to his knees.

Despite the injury Solidus gave Qual, the blade weapon user wasn't done yet. Qual bent backwards and dropped onto his back and began spinning his legs around to force Solidus to back away giving him a chance to jump back up to his feet. Even with his arm bleeding profusely thanks to the injury Solidus gave him, Qual was still capable of using it. Enraged that a child has wounded him, Qual attacked Solidus again, but this time he was attacking with the brutality of a berserker driving him.

However, Qual's berserker rage would be his undoing since Noir Fox taught an important lesson to Solidus that would prove why. "DIE!" Qual rushed the young child and this time he sidestepped to avoid the first attack with Qual's claws from his right hand.

Allowing Solidus to grab the arm and pull it behind the tormentor's back before driving his arm into the bone below the elbow breaking it using his free hand. Now having rendered his left arm useless, Solidus drew his side arm again and as Qual was turning around as he was shouting out curses in his rage. Deflecting his attack with his knife, Solidus fired eight shots from his 45 into Qual's chest ending the battle.

Eight shots fired into his chest at point blank range, Solidus was surprised to find that Qual was still alive. But he knew he was as good as dead as blood began to overflow out of his mouth as blood from the gunshots began filling his lungs. "To have been defeated so easily by a child" Qual muttered as he coughed up some blood as he fell to his knees.

"You really are the apprentice of Noir Fox, and she has taught you well. She would be proud of you, but know this boy" Qual began choking on his own blood. "The other three members of the Cobras are much more dangerous compared to me. You enjoy this victory." Qual smiled as he closed his eyes and his body began to fall backwards.

A feeling of danger began ringing in Solidus's mind as he turned and ran away from Qual's falling form. He made it to the other side of the warehouse when he heard an explosion from where Qual had fallen sound throughout the building. A cloud of smoke was seen rising up over the crates.

He watched the smoke for a moment as he remembered what Samira had told him. _Even if your opponent has an advantage against you, remember that if he lashes out in anger against you, you can use that anger to your advantage because the enemy sacrifices focus and clear judgment which can prove fatal in a battle if you can take control of it if you can play your cards right. Even in a cornered situation, always imagine success._

Before moving on, Solidus removed the empty clip from his 45 and replaced it with a fresh one before reactivating his Optical Camouflage and leaving the building and entering a connecting passageway that would take him into the main administration building.

Hiding in the rafters above, Vamp had been hiding in the shadows observing the battle. "Very good, the child may become a man yet." Suddenly a few bullets came flying at him, fired from a 45-caliber Offensive Handgun or otherwise called a Socom Pistol equipped with a silencer. Vamp effortlessly evaded the bullets and jumped down to the ground below. Before he knew it, a man wearing a familiar looking exoskeleton appeared with a Socom Pistol equipped with a suppressor in one hand, and a HF blade in the other.

"So it's you! Vamp!"

"Well this is a surprise; I never thought I would run into here." Vamp drew his Bowie knife.

"You don't look young anymore; I thought you would have died of old age by now."

"As I told you once before, hell had no vacancies."

Without another world the exoskeleton powered Ninja rushed at the pale knife user as the two engaged in a vicious duel. Sparks began to fly each time their blades collided with one another. Raiden was forcing Vamp back with each swing of his sword, but Vamp going on the offensive kicked a pair of barrels at the ninja while charging at his opponent. The ninja clad in black leapt over the first barrel and sliced the second barrel coming at him in half spilling machine oil everywhere.

Vamp threw five throwing knives at the ninja, but they were all blocked by the ninja's sword without much effort involved. He deflected them all just in time to deflect Vamp's knife. The dreaded former member of Dead Cell grinned at his old enemy while their blades were in a deadlock. Suddenly the door behind them was kicked down as a squad of fifteen heavily armed ZAFT Special OPS soldiers hurried inside. Unlike the sentries patrolling the facility, these men wore full body armor with defense helmets and computerized goggles, riot shields.

The five of the soldiers came in armed with SPAS-12 shotguns while the rest were packing FAMAS G2, a new advance high tech Commando assault rifle. This model featured incorporates various electronic sights and sensors, connected to the soldier's helmet mounted displays linked to miniaturized ballistic and tactical computers.

"Freeze" the soldier standing at the head of the assault team shouted.

"Damn it!" The ninja shouted as Vamp simply mocked him.

"I guess we'll have to continue this another time." When the ninja looked back, Vamp had disappeared.

"Drop your weapon!" The leader shouted as the ninja raised his arm as if he was going to drop his weapon, but instead in a lightning fast motion he slashed the ground in front of him with his blade creating a shower of sparks that ignited the machine oil. As flames begin to engulf the area around the ninja: the soldiers back away and fired off their weapons at the ninja. But their bullets were effortlessly deflected, one soldier told a shot to the arm when a deflected bullet struck him in the arm.

However, a second deflected bullet struck a small four-barrel pile of oil drums causing them to explode. "Shit" One of the soldiers shouted as the flames began to spread throughout the interior of the building; the flames were starting to engulf another stack of oil barrels lying near by in a corner of the warehouse.

"Let's get out of here, if those barrels go, then the whole building goes." A solider shouted as the group of ZAFT soldiers hurried out the way they came to escape the burning warehouse. The ninja retreated back to the rafters and quickly made his way out of the burning building before the oil barrels exploded setting the whole warehouse completely ablaze.

Near the base of administration building hiding in a supply closet, Andrius heard the faint noise of a few explosions. Suddenly he was receiving a call from his codec; he brought one hand to his ear to answer it. He heard Sutherland on the line. "Solidus, what the hell happened? Our obverses caught an image of one of the supply warehouses in flames."

"What? Warehouse, sir I am just a few meters away from the connecting passageway that leads into the administration building. Unless the enemy may have had a run in with the ninja and a fire fight probably caused the fire would be my guess."

"I see, but where are Auel, Sting and Stellar?

"I have Sting and Stellar looking for a means of transportation we can use to get the President and Azrael along with other hostages off the island. I have Auel and Pliskin looking for weapons and explosives we can use to deal with the base's defenses and the mobile suits stationed around here."

"Pliskin?" George asked.

"Oh, I found another survivor, a Lieutenant Junior Grade Iroquois Pliskin. Apparently during the takeover an explosion trapped inside an underground area of the complex. He managed to get out a short time ago and had since managed to avoid getting killed or capture. He looks old, but the guy handled himself pretty well to have lasted this long. I gave Sting, Auel, Stellar and Pliskin enemy BDUs we acquired and are using them to move about the base. With the ninja running around the base and causing trouble, the enemy will probably start beefing up security so I feel it is necessary to triple our efforts and get the President and other hostages out of here as soon as possible."

"I understand, you better hurry" Sutherland said reluctantly.

"I am going to try and contact them to get an update."

"Understood" George added as the transmission ended.

Solidus tried to contact Pliskin first, after a few moments he got a response. "This is Pliskin, what's up Solidus."

"Listen, I just heard from my CO that one of the supply warehouses just went up in flames. I am guessing the sentries had a run in with the ninja and I think the fight may have contributed to the fire. But that is besides the point; that fire will probably have the sentries around here a little more jumpy now so I thought give you guys a heads up."

"Roger that, and thanks for the warning."

"How are you and Auel doing?"

"We managed to reach the other side of the island in one piece; right now we'll make our way toward where the armory should be. If it wasn't cleared out or destroyed in the take over. How about you?"

"I am almost at the Administration Building, I am going to try and get inside an air duct and see if I can get into the building from there. I hit a snag or two though on the way. Qual, one of the Cobras is dead."

"Good job that's one down, leaving three more to go?"

"Yeah, anyway I'll contact Stellar and Sting and get an update from those two. Watch your backs you hear."

"Will do" Solidus ended communication with Pliskin before contacting Sting who answered a minute later.

"This is Sting, what is it Solidus."

"Listen, how are you and Stellar doing?"

"We had a few close calls, but we may have found something we could use to the hostages out."

"What did you find?"

"We found a ZAFT VTOL Seaplane parked at the harbor a few yards behind the administration. There is a couple more, but the seaplane's passenger capacity should be just enough for all of the hostages and it's a clear shot from the administration building too."

"Good work" Solidus paused for a moment "Alright I am still looking for a way inside the administration building, Auel and Pliskin are almost to the armory. In the meantime scout the surrounding area and try to find out how many sentries are posted in that are, defenses and just anything else we need to know about."

"No problem."

"But be careful, the ninja the sentries have been talking about has just caused a fire at one of the supply warehouses so the sentries might be a little more tense and security will be getting tighter so be careful."

"Thanks for the warning."

"No problem, over and out." Solidus ended codec communications as he pulled a blue twelve-inch tall rubbish can towards him before flipping it over and using it as a step stool. He took out his knife and began unscrewing a ventilation duct that was right above him. It took a few minutes, but he successfully removed the duct over and slowly lowered it to the ground. He jumped up and climbed inside the duct once he was sure it was big enough for him to fit in.

Solidus proceeded to crawl through the duct while he kept his knife in his hand just in case he ran into something. The interior of the air duct was dusty and there were come cobwebs in his path. Although a tight fit, Solidus was moving through the duct. _Now I know how a TV dinner feels._

Meanwhile at the weapons lab, Python was standing on a catwalk overlooking a machine resting inside the hanger. He watched as engineers from ZAFT were putting the finishing touches on Metal Gear NEO. He turned to his left when a soldier wearing a red and black BDU approached him.

"Sir, we have just received word that Qual has been killed."

"I see; any word on the ninja or Snake?"

"Well a patrol we sent to investigate the warehouse said they saw someone matching the description of the ninja along with another intruder."

"Another intruder"

"Yeah, the men said he looked like an old fellow with white hair and red eyes armed with a Bowie knife."

"A Bowie knife, I see…inform the Boss that since Qual has failed I'll take care of the intruders myself. Call me if anyone sees them, increase security around this place."

"Yes sir."

Python turned and walked to the opposite end of the catwalk where the solider was standing as he made his departure from the main hanger.

A short time later inside the air duct, Solidus had slid down a steep drop into, if he had to guess, would be the lower levels of the complex, most likely the basement. A few more minutes later he heard the sound of broken metal scarping on something. When he moved a little further through the vent, without warning the whole thing gave way. The duct came crashing down through a damaged cement ceiling. After an unpleasant landing on the ground, Solidus dragged himself from the broken part of the ventilation duct that had fallen to the ground.

"What the hell" Solidus muttered as he momentary deactivated his stealth camouflage to dust any dirt off himself once he was sure there was no one around. He scanned the room and judging by the debris of broken stone and metal lying around the room, this was probably one of the rooms that got damaged during the initial take over. Judging by the appearance, it looked like some short of biomedical and genetics research room.

He found a computer monitor set up on wheels to be positioned anywhere in the room that had the purpose of being used for DNA analysis. He walked over to the machine and placed a hand on top of it while Solidus was wondering what kind of experiments or research they were conducting down here.

Solidus soon noticed something else near by behind a wall of computer controls panels located just ahead of him; he eyed what looked like an isolation tank filled with a foggy green liquid solution. The glass was damaged, but probably from debris or explosion shock, Solidus placed one hand on it as he looked inside. Suspended within the solution was a teenage woman with what seemed at first to be blonde hair, but the color of her hair was a pale blondish white.

The woman's skin was a whitish pale, but the young woman was left with an oxygen hose linked to her mouth to keep her alive. Solidus was wondering if she was still alive, but the moment the Orb agent removed his hand the glass, new cracks began to emerge, before Solidus could back away the tank scattered and Solidus was swept to the ground by the spilling liquid and the young girl who ended up falling on him, the wires linked to the woman were torn away from her as she fell out of the tank and landed on top of Solidus.

While Solidus was recovering from the sudden event, the woman began to stir a few moments later as her hand began moving. However her movements were slow and very sluggish, suggesting that she was drugged and was trying to recover from the effects. She tired to move her lips, but no words came out. Embarrassed by what happened, Solidus picked the woman up and carried her. He tried to look for a place to lay her down and noticed an examination table in the right corner of the room with a white curtain hanging up.

Solidus carried her over and laid her on the table and pulled the curtain down and used it to cover her exposed form. The solider began looked around for something else he could use to provide the woman with clothing while the young woman was trying to recover from the drugs administrated to her. During his search, Solidus was wondering why was that woman being held in an isolation tank and was left drugged to eliminate any movements, let alone capable of much thinking or mental processing that left her in a comatose-like state.

A couple minutes later, the woman began muttering words which sounded like "What…app…ed." Solidus hurried over to her side, the woman's green eyes opened up a few moments later and looked up at Solidus. The woman didn't seem able to tell whom or what he was which should be no surprise since the woman vision was probably a little fuzzy.

"Are you alright?" Solidus finally asked.

"Who" The woman barely muttered as she tired to focus her attention on Solidus, but her vision was still too blurry to clearly make out her surroundings or Solidus.

"Its alright, I am Solidus Snake an agent of the Orb Union, I stumbled across your isolation tank and when I placed a hand on the glass the whole thing came apart. What the hell was the Alliance doing to you?"

A couple of seconds passed before the woman attempted to answer, "You're not with Blue Cosmos are you?"

"Hell no, I am actually a coordinator, but take easy and rest for a few more minutes ok." Solidus answered as he placed his hand on her head. As the woman rested and tried to regain her strength Solidus looked around for a working computer he could use to dig up some details about what short of experiments they were conducting with her. A minute later he found a desk with scattered office supplies on top of it with a computer built into the desk itself.

He got the computer working, but he couldn't get any details because it was blocked by a biometric password system, and since he found no bodies around the room who may possess the proper physical data to unlock it, it was time for the agent to pull out the same small wireless box Mr. Tech had used to crack the computer systems of the facility he infiltrated on his last mission. It took an only short time until Solidus found the USB port behind the holographic computer monitor.

Once he had finished hooking it up, he gave Mr. Tech a call. "Mr. Tech this is Snake come in."

"Hey what's up man, I was wondering when you would give me a call."

"So you and Nana survived what happened at HQ."

"Yeah, but the Colonel wasn't so lucky. I was over at Morgenroete helping out with a project and Nana was enjoying her day off when everything went down. But its good to hear you managed to survive."

"Thanks, but I got a favor."

"Favor, sure what is it?"

"I hooked up your little wireless box to a computer terminal here, I was wondering if you could crack the system and see what you can find out about the defense and security measures the facility has and maybe the location of Azrael and the hostages."

"No problem, I already got confirmation of a network link up. It will take a few minutes."

"Thanks, and there is one more thing."

"Shoot"

"I stumbled into a lab of some kind where they were conducting experiments on a woman I found in an isolation tank."

"A woman?"

"She's alive, but judging by her movements and condition I think she was heavily drugged. I was wondering if you could pull up any information about a human experiment involving a woman around my age they were doing so I can get a better picture of what happened here. Any related information will do fine."

"I see…no problem I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks, tell Nana I'll be giving her a call once you find something on what was done to her. She is alive, but she appears to be in bad shape."

"I understand; I'll get to work. I'll tell Nana to be on stand by incase she needs you."

"I appreciate it, and don't mention this to Sutherland or George ok."

"I'll try."

"Thanks, call me back when you found something." Solidus said as he finished the conversation.


	10. Chapter 10 Python the subzero assassin

Chapter 10

Python the sub-zero assassin

Solidus stood by the young woman's side watching over her condition as she slowly recovered from the effects of the drugs. As she did he couldn't help but admire the woman's own natural beauty, Andrius found her alluring, but that didn't explain why they kept her and performing experiments on her. Unless they were attempted to created improved beauty products or something like that, but Solidus thought that idea just ridiculous. But he could at least be certain that whatever experiments they were conducting on resulted in her being kept inside this facility because her the paleness of her skin suggests that either this woman had lost a lot of blood a short time before he arrived or she hasn't been out in sunlight for years.

A few moments later the woman struggled to sit up, after struggling for a bit she moving with lesser difficultly. Solidus helped her by placing one hand her back and the other on the woman's left shoulder to steady the young adolescent, once she was sitting up right, she turned and looked at Solidus. The woman slapped him in the face, after a brief squeal and moment of shock, when she realized that her only form of clothing was the curtain Solidus had covered her with. In fact her shoulders were left exposed along with her feet, which seemed to justify giving Solidus a slap to the face.

"What the hell did I do?"

"I appreciate the help, you saw me" She tried to phase it "unclothed!"

"I apologize, but that is how you were when you fell out of that tank, you weren't moving so I thought you were dead or serious injured."

"Sorry, but I just don't like people seeing me like that period. If you were subjected to the experiments they put me through then you would probably understand. The scientists didn't seem to care I was left naked while they used me as a guinea pig."

"In that case I understand, sorry, but you kinda surprised me."

"No problem, but I was worried when they didn't pull me out of the tank once they were finished with me."

"I think no one was able to get into this room."

"What?"

"When I…dropped in, I found most of this lab in shambles and the usual entrance must have sealed off during the take over by an explosion, possibility caused by a grenade during a firefight."

"Take over, what happened while I was in there."

"I was sent in to deal with an armed collection of Eurasian and ZAFT military forces that staged an armed take over of the Shadow Moses facility. They have commandeered a new weapon the Atlantic Federation capable of firing nuclear weapons to any location on earth using special rail cannons. They have also taken a number of VIP hostages as well along with the threat of them being able to launch a nuclear strike against the Atlantic Federation."

"But that shouldn't be possible with those Neutron Jammers scattered around the earth."

"I know, but there might be a chance that someone may have brought something to eliminate that problem. Aside from rescuing the hostages, my orders are to destroy Metal Gear NEO and eliminate the terrorists."

"And you're doing this on your OWN?"

"I have found some survivors to help out, but it still won't be easy."

"Maybe I could help, but if you can help me escape the Atlantic Federation and anyone else who want to use me as a guinea pig."

"Sure, I don't approve of experiments on humans, but how could you help? Do you have some military training?"

"A little, I was part of the Alliance's Combat Coordinator project."

"You're a combat coordinator."

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Although I was part of the Alliance's combat coordinator project and received the same kind of training they got, but I am not a coordinator. Or at least I think I am."

"You think, you're telling me you don't know if you are a coordinator or a natural."

"I don't even have name either."

"Damn"

Solidus was left surprised, and was now deliberating on the subject of what short of experiments they were putting through and for what purpose. Suddenly he got a call from Mr. Tech. "Excuse me; I got a call coming in."

"No problem."

Solidus initiated codec communications with Mr. Tech "Go ahead Mr. Tech, what did you find?"

"Hey Snake, listen I haven't cracked the firewalls protecting the security systems yet, but I did find some information on the woman you found."

"Great, so what is it?"

"Well it's not much; most of the file was encrypted. I am still working through the encryptions for the rest of the file, but here is what I have so far. Turns out the gal you found is part of a top secret experiment that involved using the most advance cloning technology to recreate and produce the most powerful psychic imaginable for military purposes."

"Psychic, you mean someone who has ESP."

"Right, extra-sensory perception: someone who could use telekinesis to sum it up for you. I don't know the specifics yet, but it seems that cell she was kept in was designed to keep her drugged and in such a weakened state that she would be unable to use her powers allowing the scientists to conduct whatever experiments they wanted on her."

"Bastards, this is one of the reasons why I hate the Atlantic Federation."

"I hear you man."

"You mentioned cloning technology."

"Yeah, it seems that they cloned her from the collected cell samples of the person who possessed the strongest and highly exceptional ESP abilities. There isn't any details available yet, but according to what I have her genetic donor was by far at the top of the list tied with another guy, but what made her so amazing is that by the time she was barely a teenager she was capable of a lot of damn good feats with her ESP abilities such as floating around, deflecting weapons, and blowing stuff up according to what I have read."

"That sounds scary, I can see why the Alliance kept her drugged and contained."

"I am guessing she was either too dangerous to let running around or maybe she tried to rebel against them and something happened. Hard to say what the story is, but I can tell you the cloning tech used to create her was top notch. They used a combination of cloning technology and the same genetic techniques used to create coordinators to weed out any genetic defects she may have gotten as a result of being cloned. Apparently aside from the potential of a shorten life span, another thing the Alliance worked out was that she will be able to bare children."

"You mean her genetic donor was sterile?"

"Yeah, apparently she became that way when she was caught in a nuclear blast at a place called the Ural Mountains, a place located in Germany. Although she survived the blast, however the aftereffects is what gave her ESP abilities and left her unable to have children because of the heavy radiation exposure. I am guessing since the Alliance probably weren't planning making any further clones or in the event that they become no longer capable of creating any new clones, so in the event any of these happened, I think they wanted it to be possible to use her for…well… reproduction purposes in efforts to preserve her DNA that contain the ESP gene she gained I imagine."

"Sick bastards"

"Well I don't know the name of the woman, but I should have the rest of the information regarding her genetic donor soon."

"Anything on her clone you can tell me, like her name and other statistics?"

"What?"

"She doesn't even know her name."

"Oh, I thought you wanted to know how she was so you could see if you could start hitting on her."

"WHAT?" Andrius commented "Why do you think I would do that in the middle of a mission."

Mr. Tech laughed. "Nah man I am just messing with."

Andrius let out a sigh as he shook his head. "Ok what do you know about her right now?"

"Well all I have the data is when she was produced, height and weight, but no name. They refer to her as clone subject 003. Also the last experiments they have spent little over a year conducting on her were power-amplification experiments."

"Jerks, well at least tell me her date of birth then."

"According to this she was born C.E. 55, February 10th."

"So makes her about as old as I am" Solidus thought for a moment "Alright thanks for the information, call me again when you have cracked the facility's network."

"Will do." Mr. Tech signed off and Solidus turned his attention back on the young woman.

"Well I found out a little information about you, all I got was your birthday."

"So I was never named."

"Yeah, but maybe until we work the whole name problem out how about a codename."

"Codename?"

"Well something I could refer to you as for now."

"Better not be anything stupid."

"Don't worry, I was thinking…Nemo."

"Nemo?" The woman looked at him with a confused expression. "As in the name of the captain of the submarine from 20,000 Leagues under the sea, but is it also the fact that it means nobody in Latin too?"

"Yes and no, but I wasn't trying to insult you."

Nemo smiled at him and let out a brief giggle "I know, but I appreciate the thought, you are incredibly a welcomed change than those men who did nothing but use me for my special abilities and their experiments."

"Like I said, I dislike those kinds of experiments done on people."

"Then it will be a pleasure being friends Andrius."

"How did you know my real name?"

"Didn't you friend tell you I have exceptional ESP?"

"Oh" Andrius said with a smile as he almost forgot.

"Your thoughts slipped out too easily."

"Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome." Nemo looked at him for a moment before she said "You want me to stay here so you can go look around for a change of clothes for me right as a pose to me running around like this."

"Do you always read people's mind without asking?"

"No, but I figured that out on my own since its pretty obvious I should acquire a more suitable attire before I go anywhere with you."

Andrius laughed before he replied, "Yeah, I guess you're right. You think you'll be fine her by yourself?"

"Well the only way in is through the ventilation duct right?"

"True, but"

Nemo placed one hand on Andrius's mouth. "Don't worry, I have my abilities. Although I am kinda rusty, but I am more than tough enough to hold my own at least until you get back."

"Alright, I'll try to hurry back as soon as I can." Solidus replied as he reactivated his optical camouflage and leapt up into the ventilation duct opening that led out of the room and into hopefully, an undamaged section of the base. Meanwhile at that moment in the lobby of the administration building one floor above, Python was just walking in when he was receiving a call on his radio.

"Python here, find something?"

"We're not sure sir, but our computer firewalls have stopped an attempt to take over our system from an outside source."

"What is the source?"

"The source of the attacks seems to be coming from one of the computer terminals in the basement, its one of the labs that was sealed off due to a battle that happened during the take over. Shall we send men down there to investigate?"

"Did you tell the Boss or the General about this?"

"No sir"

"Don't send anyone down there; I'll look into the matter personally. Don't inform the Boss or the General about this until I have taken care of the problem."

"Understood sir" The soldier replied reluctantly as Python put away his radio to draw his FN-P90 sidearm. He took the safety off and made sure he had a full clip; he readied the weapon and made his way to the nearest stairwell that would take him into the lower levels of the building.

A few minutes later Solidus found a duct covering he was able to kick out allowing him to climb out. Once on the ground he didn't see any patrolling sentries in the area, which was a stroke of luck for him. Solidus looked around and discovered that he was inside a machine room used for assembling or repairing small mechanical devices. He quickly hurried out of the room, but when he emerged he found that the hallway a short distance away had caved in.

Solidus was wondering he was trapped, but hope returned when he looked to his right and eyed another door. He opened the door and walked inside, upon entering he found himself inside what appeared to be the water works for this part of the facility judging by the number of pipes above his head and around him. He saw some pipes were connected to a number of large heating units to provide heat and water for areas of the facility.

It was a rectangle shaped room with some catwalks that went along the walls to provide maintenance for any pipes close to the ceiling and on the wall if they were ever damaged providing a means of easy access. As he walked through the room to the other end where a door laid, someone emerged from a hiding place in-between the pipes above and surprised attacked Solidus. Andrius was hit in the face with a punch before he was sent flying to the other side with a strong kick. He hit the wall behind him so hard that it broke his optical stealth camouflage rendering it useless.

"Time to come out of hiding boy" Python declared as the entire room began grow colder. "Now we can fight on a fairly equal level without that device to hide you anymore." Python removed the thermal goggles he had been wearing to spot Solidus when he picked his ambush spot.

"Not bad" Solidus said as he brought himself to his feet and drew his 45. "You're another member of the Cobras I take it."

"Correct, I am Python a man who has seen more battles and wars long before you were born. I am called the ancient sub-zero assassin because thanks to an unfortunate near-death experience in Vietnam in 1961 I was forced to don a special suit filled with liquid-nitrogen since my body was no longer able to regulate its own temperature as a result of my close encounter with death. But the suit has had an unexpected side-effect; it has rendered my body incapable of aging any further thus preventing me from dying from old age."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have very little chance of defeating me, although you are skilled for your age especially since you bested that idiot Qual who thought anger was his greatest weapon. I have had more experience in battle than you, I even fought the mighty Big Boss and despite loosing to him I still lived. So if you have anyone you wish to make peace with then I advise you do so now before I send you to the next world. Prepare yourself boy!"

Python aimed his weapon and fired at Solidus who jumped to the side and roll out of the line of fire. Solidus tried to get in close to attack him, but as he did, he noticed areas of his suit were beginning to freeze over. He was forced to back away from Python while the soldier brought his weapon around and fired on the boy. A couple bullets grazed the boy's arm and leg as he scrambled to evade the gunfire while Solidus fired shots from his gun at Python, but the solider of the ice's reflexes were fast allowing him to evade bullets with ease. The freezing mist continued to grow thicker with each passing moment.

"Not bad, but you can't keep running forever. Sooner or later the deceasing temperatures in this room will mean your death. I have wandered the arctic wastes of Antarctica for twenty years and survived, I doubt you can endure the same especially during the six-months of no sunlight." Python declared boldly as he unloaded the rest of his clip against Solidus who leapt up to take cover on one of the catwalks.

Solidus needed a plan, he couldn't attack the guy at close range with CQC so he had to do something to either render his freezing abilities useless or somehow turn them against Python. An idea formed in his mind as he took his 45 and began shooting the water pipes on the ceiling sending water pouring down onto the water below.

In moments the water was above Python's feet and rising, the water began to freeze over quickly as the soldier laughed it off. "Do you know how many people tired it? Come on boy I was expecting some more original from Fox's apprentice." Solidus wasn't done yet as he threw what grenades he had on him from when he took out those sentries who had been with Shalashaska. He waited a few seconds before he threw them into different areas of the room, mostly close to the walls and corners of the room.

The grenades went off, sending water up into the air and as the water was settling down as a result of the blast, the water was virtually flash frozen in a matter of seconds. Python smiled as the boy badly missed him, he loaded a new clip into the rifle. The arctic soldier pulled himself out of the ice and was standing upon the frozen water that was now a few inches above the feet. Solidus got up and began running across the catwalk looking for something. Python heard the sound of running on metal, and so began firing at the source of the sound.

"Run all you want, but I'll catch you."

Bullets struck the pipes and catwalk just barely a few inches away from Solidus. When the young man finally reached the end he leapt off and slid across the ice towards the door. Once he was back on his feet, Solidus slowly opened the door and walked back towards the machine shop he passed through just before running into Python. Inside the water works chamber, Python was scanning the room while at the same time his ears was trying to find any sounds to indicate where Solidus was. A few minutes passed, and still nothing. But when Python took a few steps forwards he heard a door open followed by the sound of someone running up metal stairs. Python smiled as he aimed his P90 at the anticipated location of his quarry.

Suddenly he heard and crash followed with the sound of what appeared to be something metallic sliding around on the ice. Confused at first, Python readied his knife he drew from his vest as a precaution. Then out of the mist, Solidus appeared, but he was coming at him riding on a sheet of metal the young man had managed to quickly fashion into a makeshift sled. Using an sheet of metal that he pounding to give it curved sides to make it possible so Solidus could slide around on the ice with while standing up utilizing some wire he found to tie one foot down while using a long cord tie to the little craft to steer it. Solidus was heading straight at Python while firing a few shots from his 45.

Python smiled as he jumped to the side to avoid the incoming bullets while he counterattacked with his P90. Solidus slid pass him, but Python knew that the young man would slow down and come to a stop soon. As Solidus neared one of the corners of the room he threw at grenade at moments before the water was frozen solid, Python was surprised when the small frozen crater, a result of the water freezing over just as the water was recovering from the blast.

The effect created a natural ramp that went up against the wall making it possible for to use those natural ramps as a means to regain momentum and speed. When Python saw what the boy was doing, now he understood why Solidus shot those pipes and threw those grenades, the boy wasn't trying to hit him, no he knew the grenades and the water he released would ineffective against him; Solidus figured as much. Instead it made it possible for Solidus to take full advantage of his environment and to give him a speed advantage.

"Well you have made this battle more worthwhile, I'll give you credit for inventive thinking on the battlefield." Python complimented, as he hadn't enjoyed a battle like this in years. Solidus was grinning as he was coming straight at Python once again, but this time he put away his gun and drew his knife instead. "Now you're being foolish." Python aimed his gun and fired, but to his surprise Solidus used his blade to deflect every bullet that came close to hitting him.

Python was confident that the boy's melee attack would fail since his arms will be frozen solid if Solidus got too close. But again, Solidus had another surprise in store. Solidus passed Python, but heard the sound of something bring dropped. Python looked to the floor and a grenade lying a couple feet away from him. As he tried to flash freeze it, but the grenade went off before he had a chance. The fragments from the blast damaged Python's suit, however the damage inflicted by the blast was only minor. Python retaliated by throwing his own grenade at the boy as Solidus was already making a return trip to attack again.

Python let his grenade fly, but Solidus didn't change his course. Solidus bent down and grabbed the top of his sled with one hand and continued on course apparently ignoring the grenade or Solidus didn't notice it. Instead the boy smiled and proceeded onward. Seconds later, the grenade went off.


	11. Chapter 11 Everything is an illusion

Chapter 11

Everything is an illusion

Python smiled in victory as the explosion from the grenade had seemed to defeat his foe, but he thought it was a pity the battle had ended. It was the first battle Python had enjoyed in a long time since he had never felt the tension like he did today, the only other time he felt it was when he fought against Big Boss. "Pity our battle had to end like this; you were the first challenging foe I had faced in ages."

"Who says it was over?" A voice came, as a large metal object landed on Python knocking him to the ground. Lying flat on his back, Python removed the metal plate and realized that it was sled Solidus had been riding on, and it was no simple sheet of metal. Python checked it out and found that it was a sheet of armor plating. Although damaged from the explosion, but despite that it was capable of enduring enough to launch Solidus high into the air.

As Python was getting back to his feet while he was trying not to slip on the ice, he heard the sound of someone running on metal. Expecting it to be Solidus on the catwalk he fired in the direction, which the sound was coming from. The running stopped when Solidus reached the other end of the room where the noise was more like the sound of someone had ran along the wall above the door. Confused for a moment, Python held back his fire. Then from above, through the mist, Solidus appeared. However, the young man was swinging through the air on a thick wire connected to the ceiling somehow.

Before Python could shoot, he was sent flying to the wall behind him by a kick to the chest by Solidus. The sound of metal coming close was heard, as Solidus's knife broke free from the pipes the young solider had logged it into while it was also tied to the wire he was using to swing around the room on. He had run around on the walls of the room to gain the needed speed to send Python flying when he kicked him.

Solidus landed on the ground, but he nearly slipped and fell down on the ice. He managed to gain the balance he needed to stand up. As for Python when he collided with the wall, it turned out that it wasn't just a frozen over wall, but one of the active heaters. Python began screaming in pain as he was badly burned by the heat.

After Python dropped to his knees, a few moments later he was forcing himself up determined to defeat Solidus. Then again, Solidus was aiming Python's P90 he had dropped on the ground at him. The young solider took aim and shot the pipes linked to the heater sending strong pressurized streams of water shooting out. One of these streams struck Python in the back and sent him across the room. Pinned against a wall, Python turned around and tried to escape the hot water as it was hurting him. Solidus walked over to the heater and shut it down, and remaining water pouring onto Python began to freeze. To ensure Python stays where he was, Solidus shot the pipes next to the Cobra's head dumping more water on top of the ancient soldier's body.

In seconds, Python's body was trapped in a solid block of ice leaving only his head uncovered. Python almost couldn't believe someone had bested him. Although he has never fought against Noir Fox, but the only other person who has ever bested him in combat was his old comrade he knew in 1960. The defeated soldier looked up and for a moment he thought he saw his old friend walking towards him, but as his vision cleared a few seconds later as the man he thought was his old friend was Solidus Snake with his P90 aimed at his head.

"Well played, I see why Qual was bested so easily. Using the explosion from the grenade to launch your-self high into the air while at the same time utilizing that sled fashioned out of a sheet of armor plating to protect your-self from the blast was clever. Then you used your knife tied to a thick wire as a means to swing yourself through the air after you discarded the plate and send it flying at me, from there you ran along the walls to gain enough speed for your kicking maneuver to send me flying into that heater to immobilize me. As a finishing touch you shot the pipes linked to the heater to knock me here and then shut down the heat and blast the pipes above me to dump more water turning the effect of my own suit against me trapping me in a block of ice. I applaud your thinking young man, no one, save but one man has ever defeated me." Python admitted with a smile. "Now finish me off."

"No" Solidus said as he lowered the weapon he was holding. "You have been defeated and you cannot defend yourself."

"What?"

"I'm no assassin. Shooting a soldier with their guard down isn't my style."

Python laughed at him as he looked into the young soldier's eyes, somehow something about those eyes made him remember his comrade. Something was familiar about him "Somehow you even remind me of him. You're a good man, just like him. The look of determination and the fact that you are will complete the mission without concern for your personal safety or what could happen to you on a mission, you and he are somehow alike." Python said as he was studying him. "Tell me kid; what's your name, your codename?"

"Solidus Snake"

Python seemed a little surprised "A codename similar to his own, what your operation referred to as?"

Solidus hesitated for a moment before answering "Operation Snake Eater." This surprised Python greatly as the expression on his face suggested that something about Andrius's codename and the name of operation he was conducting came as a surprise to him.

"Your mission before that, what was it called?"

"The Virtuous Mission"

"The same operations he took part in, one after the other." Python muttered as something was going click in his mind.

"What is it?" Solidus demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you at the moment, but I suspect something else appears to be going on. But I will tell you this, I advise from this point forward you are to be more observant to events unfolding around you. Something I suspect now that we are reliving the significant events of a man's life. Now go, get out of here before the sentries up stairs decide to come down here to look for me."

"I can't leave this area yet."

"Why?"

"Because" Solidus hesitated for a moment, but something in the back of his mind suggested that Python wouldn't backstab him. "There is a woman I found, the Alliance were conducting experiments on her. She was trapped inside the lab they were studying her in when all hell broke loose. Although I freed her, she doesn't exactly have any clothing, and she can't be running around as she is now."

"Oh" Python said, as he understood what Solidus was saying "Get me out of here and I'll take care of that problem."

"What?" Solidus said as he looked at him.

"You spared my life when you could have easily killed me while I was defenseless. I want to thank you; there have been too few men who exist today like you."

"How do I know you won't try anything?"

"Well, that is risk you'll have to take. Besides who can say you can find suitable clothing for the woman before the sentries discover you, now that your optical camouflage is broken. I give my word as a solider that I will not stab you in the back." Solidus looked at the trapped soldier for a moment. Reluctantly he aimed the P90 and shot the ice around Python until it hold on the arctic soldier was weakened enough to allow him to break free. Python struggled for a moment, but the ice that trapped him scattered allowing the solider to get back to his feet.

Python looked at Solidus as the two men exchanged glances for a moment until. "Go and hide somewhere until I return, I will make sure that no one will come down here until I have returned. I believe there is an extra Skull Suit lying around; the new suits are designed to fit any size. Come back in twenty minutes and I'll have the suit for your friend."

Python began to walk away, but Solidus said some parting words "Thanks" Python smiled while his back was turned on the young man as a collection of thoughts was running through his mind trying to piece together a puzzle. He knew something else was going on. Python couldn't put his finger on it, but everything that has happened so far seems to be a near recreation of what happened to his former comrade back in the 60s. He would allow Solidus to live for now, and he would help him, but Python was making plans to have a small chat with Noir Fox afterwards.

Solidus watched him leave the room, before leaving the room himself Solidus considered the choice he had made and wondered if Python would really keep his word. A couple minutes later as Python exited the lower levels, despite the light damage done to his suit during his fight with Solidus, the special auto/repair-seal gel had sealed up any holes in the suit. As he exited a pair of sentries was standing at the top of the stairwell waiting for him.

"Sir, what happened down there?"

"Let no one else go down there, I encountered one of the intruders, but due to some explosions down there more areas of the lower levels have caved in. I'll head down to search for his body, but until then no one is to go down there understood? If anyone but me tries to go down there, shoot him or her if they try to, understand? The area is unstable down there." Python ordered while making it clear to them that due to the damages the lower levels had suffered it would too dangerous for anyone to be wandering around.

"Yes sir!" The soldier answered with a salute.

Python walked away while standing behind a corner was Shalashaska with his new weapon, a Single Action Army revolver in his hand. Several minutes, back inside the lab, Solidus returned to check on Nemo, who was still where Solidus had left her. She was still sitting there watching him approach.

"Needless to say, I think you already know what happened?"

"Yeah?" Nemo replied with a smile.

"You think I am a fool for trusting Python?"

"Actually he won't backstab you; he'll provide the Skull Suit for me just as he said he would. That much I got from his surface thoughts. However something concerns him."

"What?" Solidus asked, as he seemed confused.

"I wasn't able to get much; his mind is a mix-mashed heap of memories so it's kinda much to go through." Nemo explained. "I suppose its no surprise he has so much in his head considering how long he has been alive for."

"Yeah I guess so."

Meanwhile outside the main building at the small harbor just north of the administration building itself. Sting and Stellar were standing behind a tool shed; Stellar was keeping watch while Sting was scanning the area using binoculars to examine the area while taking mental note of the number of guards, kind of defenses and security projecting this area as well as taking into account how often the sentries changed shifts and reported in. Everything was going smoothly until a sentry approached from behind and saw Sting without his mask and helmet on. He had taken them off because the helmet was making his hair itch.

"Hey you" The sentry began, but he stopped short when Stellar had taken out a combat knife and slit the soldier's throat.

"Damn it" Sting commented as he stood up and put the mask and helmet back on. "Give me a hand Stellar." The two extended human beings picked up the dead guard and carried him into the tool shed where they threw the body on top of a growing pile of dead bodies. The kill count was three enemy sentries. "Alright I think we better put some distance between us and this area before anyone comes here looking for their missing men."

"Understood" Stellar replied as she and Sting, surreptitiously, made a hasty exit out of the area.

Meanwhile Auel and Pliskin had reached the door to the armory, after the two checked if the close was clear. Pliskin opened the door using a keycard he had appropriated from a sentry patrolling the floor above them, the two were forced to knock out and lock in a broom closet. The door opened and the two walked inside to see a large room holding crates and racks full of weapons and explosives of all shorts.

"Let see what they got!" Auel said as he rushed over to the first weapon rack. He saw one row holding PrazisionsSchutzenGewehr, otherwise known as high-precision marksman's rifles or PGS-1 for short. Next to them were Franchi Spas 12 shotguns with a row holding hand grenades right below them, but stored on the rack were Mills bombs, fragmentation grenades, and Flashbangs along with chaf grenades. Pliskin was the on the other side of the room eyeing some of the weapons stored and saw packs of C-7 plastic explosives along with next generation semtex explosives.

Claymore Mines filled the shelves and could be found in some crates around in the room. The aged soldier even found a crate holding next generation HEAT missiles compatible with a FIM-92 Stinger launch which was also found in a crate right next to the rockets. Auel was checking out an old RH-Alan RGB6 he found on one of the weapon's racks while Pliskin went over to a closed glass case. Inside he found four experimental miniaturized railgun rifles capable of firing armor piercing rounds at high-speed velocities.

Their design was a cross between the prototype version once used by Dead Cell member Fortune and a sniper rifle with a special digital binocular zoom in scope with a quick to replace ammo clip should the rifle abruptly ran out of ammo during a fire fight. It could fire one shot every six seconds and its recoil was light, but the weapons are incredibly expensive to build so therefore it is highly unlikely weapons like these will see wide spread use. From what is known, only a hundred or so prototype rifles exist.

Taking the butt of his side arm, Pliskin smashed open the case and pulled one of the rifles out. As he examined the weapon, Auel came over holding a SOPMOD M4 Carbine rifle. "What kind of weapon is that thing?"

"It's a Mark 500-railgun Providence assault rifle. It can fire more than one bullet every half second like a fully automatic assault rifle, however it has a firing switch designed to set the weapon to fire three-shot bursts or one shot bullet at a time for sniping. One shot and you can punch a hole through a mobile suit's armor. This is just perfect for taking them down, but each shot will have to be made on the cockpit to bring it down. If we shoot the enemy machines anywhere else, it may have no effect. There will be damage, but nothing efficient enough to bring it down. Unless we shoot its rechargeable power cell, then it may be a different story."

"I never saw one of those rifles before, how the hell do you know about them?"

"I overheard some of the higher ups talking about it." Pliskin answered as he pulled another rifle from the rack and handed it to Auel. "We'll take three of them, but we'll take two of those sniper rifles they have in storage along. We'll grab some plastic explosives and claymores along some grenades and some of those heavy-duty rifles. A couple of those SOPMOD M4 Carbine rifles should work, and lets make sure we take plenty of extra ammo clips too."

"Ok I'll do it." Auel grumbled as he and Pliskin gathered up what weapons and explosives they could carry. "It's going to be a pain in the ass to get these to the others. Don't you think someone will find it fishy that we're carrying so many damn weapons and explosives?"

"I figured as much, that is why I am asking that we bring those SOPMOD M4 Carbine rifles. They'll help out a lot in a firefight along with those pineapples we grabbed. Come on we better get our asses moving."

_Damn old guy doesn't have to be so pushy. _Auel thought as he loaded up his shoulders and pockets with whatever he could carry before the two left the room. Minutes later, Solidus returned to the water works chamber. There he found Python waiting for him with a Skull Suit bundled up under his left arm.

"So you did come back after all." Solidus said as he approached Python.

"Yeah, I have no intention of backstabbing you can be sure of that." Python handed the Skull Suit to Solidus who accepted it. "Be warned, you must leave the lower levels as soon as possible."

"I intend to" Solidus began to walk away with the Skull Suit in hand.

"Remember this Snake" Python said suddenly as Solidus stopped and turned his head towards the ice soldier. "If you ever wish to defeat Noir Fox you must give it your all. Whatever feelings you had for your mentor you must throw away for that battle if you are to survive."

"Won't be easy, defeating Fox for what she has done. Is it even justified for me to kill someone who was a mother to me?" Andrius admitted softly.

"Let me tell you something a good friend of mines once told me. The meaning of justice can change from one day to the next. A professional soldier never brings justice into the mission. The only ones who need a reason to fight are the ones who fight for a living. That is what he told me. Politics are fickle. They change with the times. So long as we remain loyal to our countries, soldiers like us need nothing to believe in. My friend's mentor who told him these same words died out of loyalty, not to justice, not to her country. To herself and for the mission." Python said as he remembered those words spoken to him long ago.

"What you mean"

Python interrupted him "Prove your loyalty as a soldier. Even he didn't quite understand it, but it's something that has struck with me." Solidus was still taking the words in. "Prove your loyalty. Not to justice, not to your country, but to yourself. Fulfill your mission, and be loyal to yourself."

"I don't understand?"

"Someday you might figure it out, but for now…Fox will be expecting you to kill her, that is your mission. You can do her proud…by carrying it out." Python left the room while Solidus was left pondering over the words Python had said to him. Unable to come to a conclusion at the moment, Solidus started to make his way back to Nemo to give her the Skull Suit.

Waiting for him back inside the wrecked lab, Nemo was sitting on the table where Solidus had left her feasting down on a ration Solidus had given her. The way Nemo was clawing her fingers into the ration to get every single morsel was definite evidence to how hungry the woman was. When she finished, she turned her head towards Solidus who handed her the Skull Suit.

"How was the ration?"

"The turkey and sauce-boiled ham were nice, but I don't know about the coffee. I think it could have used a little more cream."

"Yeah the coffee with that B3 Ration isn't the greatest." Solidus laid the Skull Suit on the table next to the young woman before turning around and walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am going back into the air duct so you can have some privacy to change into that."

"A wet suit?"

"It's a Skull Suit, that thing is a piece of top-notch sneaking equipment. It should also provide good protection from the cold weather outside, but most important of all…it is a better choice than going around like that."

Nemo looked down at herself "You have a point."

"Call me from the air duct when you are ready and I'll help you up."

"Ok" Nemo replied as Andrius climbed into the air duct.

Elsewhere inside the facility, Pliskin and Auel were walking across a snowy field, but a pair of sentries patrolling the field dressed in white snow camouflage suddenly approached them. "Freeze" one of the sentries shouted, but Auel aimed and fired the SOPMOD M4 Carbine rifle he had been carrying while he and Pliskin dove to the sides to avoid the retaliating gunfire of the two men.

The first sentry fell back after Auel pumped his chest full of lead followed by Pliskin who capped off the second soldier with ease, but when the two heard a third sentry coming towards them. Auel brought out the Providence Railgun and took aim "Time to see what this baby can do!" Auel declared, as he was interested to see what kind of power the rifle packed. Before Pliskin could stop Auel, the extended human saw the incoming sentry and fired a shot nailing the guard in the chest.

The resulting impact sent the guard flying off his feet while the penetrating round kept going, it went through a couple trees and eventually stopped when it struck either what appeared to be a jeep or some fuel barrels more than a dozen or so yards away judging by the small explosion that could be viewed in the distance.

"Holy shit, I love this gun!" Auel said with an expression filled with homicidal glee.

Suddenly the sound of a GINN approaching them from behind was heard approaching the two soldiers. As the GINN's monoeye shined down on them, a barrage of railgun rifle fire was unleashed on the GINN's cockpit where the pilot inside was reduced to Swiss cheese, as were the internal works of the GINN behind him. The holes were the railgun rounds penetrated were still sizzling as smoke fumed out of the holes. Auel looked to his left and saw that it was Pliskin who had done the GINN in using two railgun rifles.

"Let's get moving before anyone comes over here to investigate what happened to the GINN." Pliskin advised as the two men ran off intending to put as much distance between them and the wreckage of the GINN as possible. Elsewhere at that moment inside a sterile laboratory located on the fifth floor of the administration building; at the heart of the room linked to computers and diagnostic monitors linked to an isolation tank filled with a cerulean colored solution with Nil floating inside the tank with sensor wires linked to her body.

Present in the room were Noir Fox, Shalashaska, and a man wearing a black trench coat, black hair with gray streaks on the side. A few moments later, General Sadique walked in and approached the tank as he asked a scientist working the control panels on a near by wall to his right. "How much longer will it take until she is ready to be deployed again?"

"Another hour sir?" The scientist replied.

"Damn it, she maybe the Perfect Soldier, but these constant readjustments to her mind hinder her."

"Don't worry I'll take care of the intruders." The man in the black trench coat declared boldly.

"You will, but I thought Python had gone to take care of them?"

"What?" Fox asked, as she seemed to have been unaware of this.

"Did he tell you? My men guarding the remaining passageway into the lower levels said they saw Python head down there, and return some later a little roughed up. According to him he encountered one of the intruders and fought him. However more areas of the lower levels caved in assumingly taking the intruder out. He went back in there a short time ago to make sure after he repaired his suit." Sadique explained.

"I see" Fox paused for a moment when a report was coming by radio. She listened to the report for a moment before turning to the man wearing the trench coat. "In that case, I want you to check out the lower levels and make sure the intruder is dead, understood Olvido?" The man smiled as he turned around and left the room. Noir Fox began making her way towards the exit after Olvido left. "I'll check out the incident regarding the destroyed GINN."

Fox left the room while Shalashaska listened in, before he exited the room himself moments later.


	12. Chapter 12 Olvido of Oblivion

Chapter 12

Solider of Oblivion Olvido

Nemo and Solidus were climbing out of the air duct after Solidus had helped Nemo into the ventilation duct. After a crawl through the duct the two made it out, Andrius helped Nemo out of the duct once they reached the end. Currently Nemo was behind Andrius as the Orb agent was ready with his 45 and survival knife just in case any unexpected company arrived. When the coast was clear, he turned to Nemo and handed her the P90 he got from Python.

"Here take this."

"What?"

"It's a FN-P90 submachine gun, its got bullets capable of penetrating body armor and helmets worn by most of the sentries have I seen around the facility so it's a good side arm."

"Thanks" Nemo replied as she accepted the weapon.

"You might need the firepower; after all we're going up to the main floor of the administration building where it's probably one of the two most well guarded areas in the facility." Andrius explained, as Nemo understood the new for a good firearm in the likely event they run into heavy opposition. As he waited for a possible question from Nemo, Andrius couldn't help but notice how good Nemo looked in the Skull Suit. It captured her figure quite nicely.

"Would you please stop looking at me like that? Yes I look good thank you!" Nemo said sarcastically as she looked posed to slap Andrius again.

"Oh sorry, but well"

Nemo cut him off. "Yeah, I know you think I am attractive and I am flattered ok, but now is not the time."

"Right, sorry." Andrius replied as he was clearly embarrassed by the look on his face and the fact that his cheeks were red. Suddenly his codec began beeping "Sorry got a call coming in." Solidus knelt down on one leg and answered his Codec to find Auel and Pliskin calling.

"Hey Solidus we got some heavy weapons and explosives." Auel told him as soon as a connection was established. Pliskin was the next to speak.

"We hit a few snags, but we got more than enough firepower to take anything coming our way including those mobile suits."

"Yeah, Pliskin brought down a GINN for those railgun rifles we found."

"That's good news, where are you now?" Andrius asked.

"We're both inside one of the south linear tank hangers a few clicks from your location. Where are you?" Pliskin answered.

"I am still inside the lower basement levels of the administration building. I am about to make my way up."

"How did you get in?" Auel asked.

"I used a ventilation duct from a supply closet near the connecting passageway that leads to the administration building from the warehouse that got burned."

"I see, smart move."

"But the lower levels were in bad shape, looks like one hell of a firefight must have happened down here."

"Sounds like the men posted at the base must have made their last stand down there."

"Anyway I am going to begin my infiltration and find the hostages. You guys could use the duct that helped me inside. Think you guys can make it through with all those weapons."

"I doubt it."

"Ok, I got an idea. Head to the main entrance into the administration building, I'll open up a way inside and we'll meet up there."

"What about security?"

"I think I got a plan, but we'll have to wait a few minutes. I'll call you two back ok."

"Roger that." Pliskin answered before Solidus ended the transmission, but instead of ending codec communications he made a call to Mr. Tech. "Mr. Tech how is it coming?"

"I managed to bypass some of the firewalls and gain control over a few systems, but the firewall and hacker prevention barriers protecting the security system are top-notch. I am trying something new to see if that'll allow me to assume control. Hold on" There was a long pause that lasted little over a minute before Mr. Tech "Alright! Now we're in business! I got full control over all of the faculties systems, but"

"But?"

"The one part of the base I have no computerized control over are the various systems over at the Weapons lab, I guess the systems there must operate separately from the facility's computer network. But I can at least disable most of the security systems and protocols protecting the administration building. I am using the security cameras to give you an estimated number of sentries protecting the building."

"Well that's good news, how many do we have to take out?"

"Lets see" There was another pause, but Solidus could hear the faint sound of Mr. Tech counting. "You're going to have some serious opposition, from the number of men I counted…you'll be facing about around a fifty to forty men, but if I can keep their radios jammed and alarms deactivated then maybe I can buy you some time to take them out and then escape before the rest of the men around the island is alerted to what is going on."

"How long do you think we have?"

"Let see, hard to say, but I am guessing at twenty to fifteen minutes top if we are lucky."

"Damn, any idea where the hostages may be located?"

"They are on the third floor, which is where the sentries are more concentrated. I saw them through a camera in position to keep an eye on them inside the conference room. I found at least six hostages; all of them VIPs on the list including Azrael and the Atlantic Federation President are there too."

"Good, now I won't have to do too much wandering around inside the building to find them."

"Just the real problem will be getting to and then leading them out in one piece." Mr. Tech pointed out.

"Yeah, it won't be easy, but we have no other opinions."

"I hear ya. Well good luck and I'll do what I can from my end to give you guys a chance."

"Thanks" Solidus ended communications with Mr. Tech right before calling Pliskin and Auel back. "Auel, Pliskin are you two there?"

"Yeah" Auel answered followed up by Pliskin.

"We're here."

"Listen Mr. Tech has disabled the security systems for the administration building and we have confirmed the location of the hostages. They are on the third floor, but security is pretty tight. Our only opinion is to take out the enemy soldiers and lead the hostages out."

"How many men are stationed there?"

"Fifty to forty men, and if we can work fast we can get the hostages out before the rest of the base becomes alerted to out actions then we can get them to the harbor and get them out of there. Mr. Tech should have the base's automated defenses down in a short while."

"Sounds a little easy, but"

"It may at least give us an open window to get the hostages out; once they are safe I'll take care of my other two objectives."

"Taking out Fox and destroying the NEO right?"

"Right, but first thing first, Pliskin I need you and Auel to move to the entrance to the lobby of the administration building. I'll meet you there after I clear the first floor of enemy sentries once Mr. Tech has put his part in the plan into effect."

"Roger, we'll head over there and wait for you to open up a path then we'll storm the building and get the hostages out before the rest of the facility is alerted to what is going on."

"Ok, Solidus out." Solidus ended communications as he looked to Nemo, but before he could even ask.

"I know, I have read your surface thoughts and so I know what is going on."

"Could you please stop doing that? It makes me feel"

"Uncomfortable?" Nemo said as she finished the sentence for him. "Don't worry. I won't do it any more to you from here on out unless it's a life or death situation or something that would demand the need for me to read your mind ok."

"Fair enough, let's get moving."

Meanwhile at the same time topside, Pliskin and Auel were passing through the second warehouse that was located on the east side of the main administration facility. The two were passing through the warehouse filled with crates and oil drums, but when the two neared the exit they stopped when someone called out to them from above.

"I was expecting Solidus, but you two are carrying too many weapons to be typical sentries and besides…no one is supposed to be in this area."

"But we never heard the report?" Auel said trying to act like a confused solider.

"I didn't give it through the radio, but rather I went to every solider in the surrounding area and informed them personally, so drop the act." A person hiding in the shadows above leapt down from the rafters to confront the duo; it was Noir Fox. "Surrender now and I might ensure that you two live, especially if you tell me where Solidus can be found."

"No" Pliskin said boldly as he unloaded the weapons he was carrying to free up his shoulders and arms so the weapons and equipment he was hauling around wouldn't be weighting him down. The old soldier readied himself for combat. "You'll have to defeat me first."

"Fine, you have sealed your fate." Fox declared as she rushed at Pliskin.

The two soldiers began to fight one another, but much to Fox's surprise as the two-exchange blow after blow in rapid succession. The old man kept up with her and managed to counter or block every blow she threw at him. Noir attempted to grab Pliskin's right arm and twist it, but Pliskin countered it with quick impulse as he stiffened his arm and then nailed Fox in the stomach with a blow from his left elbow.

Momentarily stunned for a second or two, Pliskin grabbed Fox and flipped the woman over her shoulder. But Fox countered by landing before feet on the ground and seizing Pliskin's left arm and attempted to bring him close in order for the female soldier to floor him with a kick to the elderly man's leg. Just as before, Pliskin countered this by going in another direction and bringing Fox's arm behind her back where Pliskin was in a good position to break it.

Noir Fox quickly countered this as well by head butting Pliskin and then used her right leg to push herself free from Pliskin's hold, but as the two moved away, Fox grabbed a hold of the shroud covering Pliskin's face as she said "You're CQC techniques are extremely advance for a anonymous soldier, better than Solidus's techniques and they rival my own. Let see who are you really?" The mask was taken away revealing Pliskin's face to the woman soldier, who after looking at his face for a few moments was shocked and surprised greatly apparent by the expression on her face alone. "YOU! You're supposed to have died more than a hundred years ago, how is it that you are still be alive!" Before Pliskin could answer a beeping sound was heard from the woman's codec. "I'll deal with you later." Fox admitted as she leapt back up into the rafters and retreated from the battle for the time being.

"What the hell was she talking about?" Auel asked.

"I don't know, but let's get the hell out of here before she comes back." Pliskin advised as he picked up the shroud, weapons and equipment he had left on the ground near by before he and Auel moved on. Meanwhile at that very moment, Solidus and Nemo arrived back inside the water works chamber where he fought Python, but only now the ice had begun to melt.

As the two were progressing through the chamber while trying to avoid slipping on the ice, a gunshot was heard and a bullet struck the ice in front of Solidus's feet. The two looked up at the catwalk on their left and saw Shalashaska standing there twirling his new Single Action Revolver in one hand.

"Hold it right there." Shalashaska declared as he kept his weapon on Solidus. "I've been waiting for this moment, its time to get even."

"I see you got yourself a Single Action Army, taking my advice?"

"Yeah, turns out you were right about my technique. I am better suited for a revolver, and now I am going to try my new skills on you. I can assure you, there will be no accidents this time."

"You call what happened during our last fight an accident." Andrius remarked as he shot Solidus a mocking smile. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been showing off."

"Shut the hell up!" The revolver wielding gunman roared while Solidus began looking him over to see if he had any other weapons.

"And you're forgetting one more very basic thing. You don't have what it takes to kill me." Solidus said with a smile as he mocked him.

"We'll see!" Shalashaska fired off five more shots, but Solidus drew his knife and deflected each, but when the white haired gunfighter tried to shoot a sixth shot he realized then that he was out of bullets. Solidus drew his 45 and kept it aimed at Shalashaska's head.

"That thing carries only six shots. I see you are still use to an automatic, which carries a little more than six bullets. You have to get a feel for how many you have left. That is a high-class weapon. It's not meant for shooting people in angry fits." Shalashaska looked down at him angrily before shouting.

"This isn't over; I'll get you next time…if you survive him!"

Suddenly a scimitar flew straight Solidus out from nowhere as it seemed to be flying through the air controlled by some unseen force. Solidus blocked it with his knife, but a second flying scimitar came at him from above. Solidus managed to deflect the blade with his knife after knocking the first scimitar away.

"You get him first Olvido." Shalashaska announced as a figure wearing a black sneaking suit similar to the one Python had worn minus the ammo jacket and liquid nitrogen added to it. The man appeared to be in his early fifties with gray-streaks in his long black hair as a sign of age, his red eyes were focused upon the two.

"I'll finish the boy off quickly Shalashaska." Olvido answered as the gunfighter left made a hasty exit out of the chamber. "I am Olvido the ESP combatant of the Cobras; I am here to send you to your ultimate fate. You'll make a fine quarry youngster." Four floating scimitars began to orbit the deadly soldier, including the other two blades Solidus fought off, while Olvido drew a pistol from a holster on his hip. "You shall taste true oblivion boy. Let the battle begin."

"Oh shit!" Solidus thought as he held both his gun and his pistol ready as the blades around Olvido began to lower themselves pointing away from him as they began spinning around his body like a top. Solidus was forced to back up while he had to deflect bullets from Olvido's gun. "Nemo take cover!" Solidus shouted as he drove to the ground and slid along the melting ice to get under the blades. He turned himself over and somersaulted back up to his feet after, but struck Olvido in the face with his feet knocking him off balance. Nemo dropped to her knees and slid across the ice towards one end of the room.

Back on his feet, Solidus tried to shot Olvido, but he had to evade the incoming scimitars that flew at him coming to their master's defense, but one of the scimitars nearly took the hand holding his 45 off, so in order to save it he had to let go of the gun at the last possible second and pull back his hand.

"Fool I can read your every thought. I know what you'll do next." Olvido admitted as he was bringing in another of his swords to behead Solidus as it flew at him spinning around like a Frisbee. Solidus ducked, but Olvido was aiming his gun right at him. However the cobra's gun exploded in his hand as a large burst of water released from one of the pipes struck Olvido knocking him to the wall just left of Solidus. "What the hell!" The psychic yelled.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Nemo shouted as she began to use her own ESP abilities to aid Solidus. "Here try some of this!" Pieces of ice and some nuts and screws detaching themselves from the pipes and the ground were sent flying at Olvido while Solidus rolled clear of the line of fire, but he grabbed one of the scimitars that had fallen to the ground when Olvido was sent flying. "Solidus!" Nemo shouted as she began speaking to him through telepathy.

_Listen to me Andrius, I'll use my powers to block him from reading your mind and give you a hand against his sword attacks. Just be ready. _Nemo told him as she explained something else to him. Once she was finished, Solidus smiled before taking the sword he claimed to go after Olvido.

At the same time Olvido was deflecting the flying objects using his three swords to deflect them all as the ESP user regained his footing. Nemo began using her powers to break the frozen ice they were standing on apart to use as projectiles while Olvido realizing the danger the woman presented to him began using his powers to pull apart the pipes in the chamber to use as weapons.

Solidus although had lost his 45 amidst his attacks on the Cobra as it may have slipped from his hand while he was evading death, but it was ok…he had his knife and a newly acquired scimitar he could use against the Cobra. Solidus had to only worry about either getting shot or stabbed or impaled by a flying object. The pipes Olvido had gather was now hurling them at Nemo who was now using sheets of metal and some pipes she pulled from the walls to shield herself from the psychic's onslaught.

Solidus was rushing across the ground towards the older man with his knife and scimitar ready to strike him down. The young soldier had observed Olvido's fighting style and believed that Olvido must have relied heavily on his ESP powers not only to attack, but also as a means to know his foes movements in advance giving him a nearly unstoppable edge in battle. But if someone could block Olvido's ability to read minds then the psychic soldier was at what could be a possibly slight disadvantage. Solidus was about to find out if he was right.

He leapt over pipes suspended in mid air and pieces of ice as he hurried over to Olvido to take him out. However, when Solidus got within four feet of the enemy soldier, he saw Solidus coming at him ready to kill him. Olvido brought one of his three swords to counter. As the blade took a swing at Solidus, the Orb agent kicked a floating thick chunk of ice towards the floating blade. The scimitar embedded itself into the ice as Solidus leapt over the ice and came straight at Olvido.

The psychic soldier had no intention of going so down easily as he brought a pipe to him to block the incoming swing of the scimitar Solidus held. Olvido blocked the sword, but Solidus just simply brought his other arm around that held his knife to stab Olvido in the side of his chest while Solidus released his hold on the scimitar. Much to Solidus's surprise Olvido drew a knife of his own to block Solidus's blade.

"Nice try boy!" Olvido mocked, but Solidus smiled at him as Nemo sent another wave of flying debris at both of them. Olvido turned his attention to using his two scimitars followed up by his third blade that he free from the ice, and his reclaimed fourth scimitar to deflect most of the debris aimed at him. However, had Olvido paid more attention to Solidus; Olvido would have seen one of the so-called debris thrown at them was seized by Solidus's free hand. Olvido took a moment to take a glance at Solidus, and blood drained from his face just before death embraced him. The last thing he saw…was a P90 pointed at his head.

Solidus pulled the trigger and blew Olvido away with more than a dozen bullets reducing killing the enemy Cobra. Solidus looked at the man's lifeless body before he began looking around for his 45. _Never rely on one skill to make it through a battle; you should have more techniques and skills to help adapt to changing situations on the battlefield. You made a classic mistake; you were so heavily dependant on your ability to read minds to help predict your foe's next move that any real combat skills you may have possessed have deteriorated. _Solidus thought as he searched the debris for his weapons, but Nemo walked up to him with the weapon in question suspended in mid-air for Solidus to take.

"I think this is yours." Nemo replied with a smile. Andrius returned the smile as he took back his 45 before he handed the young woman the P90 back.

"Thanks, let's get the hell out of here before anyone else decides to give us the jump down here." Solidus suggested as he took back his weapon. "By the way did you get anything from those two?"

"You mean did I read their minds?"

"Yeah"

"Well" Nemo began as the two proceeded to walk out of the water works chamber. "I tired to read that guy with the revolver, but I was blocked."

"How, was it Olvido?"

"No…surgical implants inside his mind prevented me from probing his thoughts."

"Implants?"

"Yeah, the implants he has are a kind of psychic insulation that blocks mind probes like mine no matter how powerful I am. I find it strange someone like him would have them, since implants like those are given to VIPs like leaders of a nation, government, and military high-ups who know some highly sensitive information that don't want any passing psychics like myself to scan their minds for. A few of the men in charge of the project that created me had them as a precaution to keep me from reading their minds." Nemo explained as Solidus was finding the shadow of mystery surrounding Shalashaska grew stranger. "Say is he your twin brother or something?" Nemo asked as the two passed through the doorway and entered a hallway that led to the stairway.

Solidus thought about it for a moment, true Shalashaska did bear a striking resemblance to him save for the paler skin tone, green eyes and white hair. But as far as the Orb agent knew…he was an only child. "No as far as I know I was an only child. Hell I don't even know anything about my real family I was raised in the Orb military."

"This is getting stranger every hour." Nemo commented, but the sound of an explosion was heard behind them. They looked back for a moment, but a few seconds the two looked up instead when heard a faint sound above them. They saw new cracks in the ceiling beginning to form as the sounds of collapsing concrete and metal was heard behind them. "Not good!"

"RUN!" Solidus shouted as the two dashed down the hallway towards the stairs. The battle between Olvido must have further weakened the supports that kept the underground levels of the facility from collapsing altogether, now because of the battle and that explosion; the area of the sublevel they were in was caving in on them. Solidus guessed they had no more than seven to five seconds to get up those stairs before the ceiling comes down on them.


	13. Chapter 13 Raising the Stakes

Chapter 13

Raising the Stakes

Elsewhere on Shadow Moses Island on the northeast end of the island, a several minutes' walk behind the weapons lab, hidden behind some trees, was an old wooden shack next to a heliport where a specially designed Heli rested. Unlike other Heli aircraft used by the Orb Union, this one was designed to act more as a type of aerial gunship instead of a just a regular transport or fighter.

Its design allowed it to be piloted by a single person, with room for a co-pilot if required or can operate on autopilot for a time. There was a possible opening on both sides of the craft's passenger hold to permit soldiers on board to get on or off, or they could fire their weapons from inside the hold.

The area was virtually deserted save for the occasion signs of wildlife seen in the area. Snow had covered most of the aircraft suggesting that it had been left on the heliport for a long period of time. Suddenly, a lone snowmobile was arriving before it stopped next to the shack. The rider climbed off his vehicle and walked towards the Heli gunship. Once he reached the craft he opened up the side of the craft and climbed inside where he found two large metal crates. The long rectangle shaped crate had a cell phone on top of it.

The figure picked up the cell phone and dialed a number before putting the device close to his ear listening to the dial tone. An unknown person on the other end answered the phone to address the caller. "Yes, it's me" The caller replied as he listened to the person on the other line. "Yes, Solidus has done well so far…he has capped off two of the Cobras, but spared Python."

The voice continued speaking to the caller who smiled as he noted, "I agree…it doesn't matter at this point. Once Sadique fires those experimental Neutron Jammer Canceller equipped Nuclear Missiles our ZAFT pawns brought I'll nuke the base with the new and improved Davy Crocket you have provided me with. Even if Solidus succeeds in destroying Metal Gear I'll still nuke the base afterwards to cover up the evidence and to keep those Blue Cosmos psychos from getting the Neutron Jammer Canceller, after all…we need this war to go on for a little while more…at least to implement that project we have planned next month."

The person on the other line spoke again before the caller answered "Don't worry I have deleted all data regarding the Neutron Jammer Canceller from the computers and have saw to it that no one will be able to copy the data. I possess the real technical specs for the Canceller right now. Those fake specs I left in the computers will piss the Alliance off if they manage to get it before the base is destroyed, but Fox has given Azrael the fake technical specs we provided." The person said a few more words "Yes I'll bring you the data once I am done here. Noir Fox will accomplish her mission as planned. No one has discovered my true identity yet. Eurasia and ZAFT have no idea I have been double crossing them." The person on the other line said a few more words before the caller decided to end the conversation.

"Yes…of course…I'll be seeing you at the location we discussed once I am done. I'll you back after I reach the Kaohsiung spaceport in Taiwan once the mission is over." The mysterious caller hung up the phone and exited the helicopter.

Meanwhile around the same time, a pair of sentries was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading into the collapsed hallway where they saw nothing but broken slabs of concrete and pieces of metal with broken electrical wires. Just when the sentries were about to turn around and leave, two pieces of the collapsed ceiling lifted off from the ground and flew straight at them. The sentries tried to react by evading the pieces, but the concrete slabs seemed to have possessed a mind of their own which struck the sentries in the face with enough force to knock them out.

More pieces of concrete and metal suddenly began moving as a pair was beginning to emerge from the rubble as the debris were slowly removed. Solidus and Nemo emerged with but a few light cut on their faces, but they were alive. Nemo had used her abilities to seize some of the falling debris to save them from getting crushed to death. It had taken a few minutes for them to reach the hallway thanks to the collapsed passageway, but they had barely made it nonetheless.

"That was close." Solidus commented as he helped Nemo to her feet.

"No kidding."

Solidus raised his 45 and made sure he had a loaded clip while Nemo checked her weapon to make sure she was ready to take down the guards on the first floor of the administration building. When they were ready, Solidus gave Mr. Tech a call through his codec.

"Mr. Tech: are we good to go?"

"Yeah, I just finished knocking out the security systems and I have jammed the radios. I don't know how long its good for, but you just better move it."

"Roger that." Solidus ended communications before he looked to Nemo and told her. "Let's go."

"Right!"

The two ascended the stairwell while they were watchful of their surroundings as they drew closer to the top of the stairs. Solidus gestured for Nemo to wait as he made his way to the top to get a look around. He eyed three guards to his left by one o the main entrances, Solidus looked to his right and saw four more. He looked back to Nemo and had the girl read his mind so she would know where the sentries were and what plan he had in mind how to take them out.

Nemo rushed up to the top of the stairs and released a spray of bullets from her P90 on the four sentries Solidus had spotted while at the same time Solidus eliminated the sentries on the right with precision shots to the head of each sentry before they could react to the sudden attack the duo unleashed upon. The two moved on gunning down any sentries they ran across. Gunfire was heard in another area of the lobby, probably a sign that Pliskin and Auel had arrived with guns blazing no doubt.

Another group of enemy sentries came running at the duo with their rifles sending a large spray of bullets right at them, but Solidus started shooting at them with his 45 as he drove to the ground to avoid getting shot, but Nemo used her abilities to deflect the bullets away from her and Solidus while she used her powers to bring down part of the ceiling to crush the enemy sentries. Anyone who managed to escape getting crushed or survived was picked off by Solidus.

"Nice trick." Solidus commented.

"Thanks!" Nemo used her powers to bring some of the rifles the sentries had dropped after they were killed closer to them. The young woman put away her P90 to pick up one of the rifles to use against the guards to conserve ammo while Solidus took a rifle for the same purpose.

"You think we cleared this floor?"

"I don't know, but" Nemo's eyes went wide for a moment right before she leapt and grabbed Solidus bring him to the ground just in time as five railgun shots came right through the walls to their left and kept on going. A moment later a laughing Auel came around the corner with a railgun in his arms.

"Damn did you see that guy fly when I blast them?"

"Geez your trigger happy attitude could get Solidus killed if was any where near the path of those rounds."

"Nah the guy will be" Auel stopped when he saw Solidus on the ground with Nemo on top him. "What the hell are you doing Solidus? This isn't the time to be making out with a girl." Auel snapped. Andrius was slightly embarrassed as Nemo got off of him. Pliskin figure the two teenagers on the ground were there to avoid getting shot by the railgun rounds Auel had fired.

"You two alright?" Pliskin asked as he gave Nemo a hand to help the girl to her feet.

"We're fine, what the hell was that?" Solidus asked.

"A compact railgun rile. Pliskin shot a mobile suit to hell with two of them." Auel declared gleefully.

"You have been a bloodthirsty maniac with that thing." Pliskin commented, but when took a look at Nemo "Who is the girl?"

"Oh the codename I gave is Nemo. I found her inside one of the underground labs; she was trapped inside there since the attack. I got her out, but I found out she was the subject of experiments."

"What is her real name?" Pliskin asked.

"She doesn't even have a name to call her own." Solidus answered. "I explain later, but we need to keep moving. I don't know how long their radios will remain jammed and how long it will take before anyone notices the security systems in this building have been knocked out."

"Right explanations can wait until later, let's get moving. Where are the hostages Solidus?"

"Third Floor conference room"

"That means two more floors to fight through." Auel said with a grin.

"Let's move it."

The group moved forward towards the stairwell that would lead them to the second floor, but while the two were moving through the hall, Nemo shot Pliskin a look as she scanned his mind and found something that surprised her. Pliskin looked at her and told her "Don't worry I am one of the good guys."

Nemo smiled and the group continued on, but felt something coming from one of the upper floors. Unable to tell what it was, she ignored it.

At that very moment on the fifth floor of the administration building, Nil began to move about in her tank violently as she tore the wires linked to her body free as she proceeded to slam both feet against the glass. Scientists and soldiers gathered around just in time for the glass to scatter, but anyone could react…Nil leapt out of her containment and snapped the neck of the nearest sentry allowing her to take the man's rifle and knife.

"The feeling, what is it. I'll find it!" Nil declared before she proceeded to attack everyone else in the room.

On their way up to the second floor, Solidus and Pliskin took point while Nemo and Auel watched the rear as they made their way up the staircase. Pliskin stopped at the door, but instead of going through it he gestured for Auel to pass him something. Pliskin rigged the door with a claymore mine and wired some C4 to it, so if anyone came that way would find a nasty surprise on the other side. The trio continued up and entered the third floor.

Almost immediately after opening the door, Solidus saw a pair of soldiers in front of a pair of double doors. Pliskin and the young solider emerged through the door and rushed at the guards, by the time they noticed the two and turned to aim their weapons at the duo. Pliskin had used his CQC techniques to quickly floor the first sentry and knock him out while Solidus had done the same. Auel and Nemo joined with them as they took up positions to watch their backs as the two men opened the door and stepped inside.

They found seven hostages, three men and four women wearing expensive suits and clothes, but near the corner of the room was Azrael and next to him was the Atlantic Federation President. "Well unless they are the enemy I guess the rescue party has finally arrived." Azrael replied with an astute smile.

"Who are you?" The President asked.

"FOXHOUND Special Forces agent Solidus Snake of the Orb Union sir, I was sent here under the request of your government to save your worthless butts."

"Not exactly a well mannered agent." Azrael commented.

Solidus glared at Azrael as his hand was itching to whip out his 45 and shoot Azrael in the head.

"Are you sir, I don't think I have seen your face around here." The President asked as he looked to Pliskin.

"I am Iroquois Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade; I was trapped in one of the storage rooms during the attack. After I escaped I joined up with Solidus to assist him."

"I see, but what about Metal Gear NEO they should have finished loading the nuclear warheads onto the machine at the weapons lab?" The President commented.

"What? I thought the Alliance didn't have the means to block Neutron Jammers?" Solidus pointed out.

"We don't, but those rouge ZAFT commandos who arrived here with the Eurasian Federation traitors brought two specially designed nuclear warheads equipped with an experimental Neutron Jammer Canceller. They plan to use NEO to launch a nuclear strike against Washington D.C. and Panama. A nuclear strike has been their objective the whole time; Metal Gear NEO should be ready for operation within the next hour. You have to stop it."

"I see, in that case I'll have all of you make your way to the dock north of here where you'll leave the island by means of a captured ZAFT craft. I'll take care of Metal Gear NEO and eliminate the rest of the terrorists." Solidus replied as Pliskin moved by the doors as he began gesturing for the people to follow Auel and Nemo out of the room.

Solidus felt the temptation to kill Azrael for what he has done, and not because he was the leader of Blue Cosmos, but for all of the experiments he most likely ordered to be done on people like Nemo. However he managed to keep the desire in check since he had no choice, but to ensure Azrael survives so Orb won't be attacked by the Alliance.

Suddenly there was a crash as the doors on the opposite of the room were kicked open. With blood stains on her body from the people she killed, Nil stood there as she locked glazes with Solidus before raising her HF katana in front of her and stood ready to attack the young Orb agent.

"You…the one I failed to kill. I will complete my mission and kill you! Then I'll kill the one who I feel is near by." Nil said as bloodlust radiated from her small blue eyes although some strains of her gray hair covered her face.

"Oh shit!" Solidus remarked as he put away his gun knowing it would be useless against Nil, but Pliskin called out to him as he tossed something he had huddled between the sniper rifle and the railgun he carried on his back.

"Solidus!" Pliskin threw a HF blade, similar to the one used by the cyborg ninja roaming the facility, to Solidus who quickly grabbed the handle of the weapon with his free hand once it was within reach. Solidus took the blade into his hand while he kept his knife ready to use against the enraged soldier before him.

"Pliskin get everyone out of here. I'll hold this woman here and give you time to escape. Meet me at the Weapons Lab once you get them to safety."

"Roger that." Pliskin signaled for the hostages to follow him out, Nemo stood by the door worried about Solidus, but Pliskin called for her.

"Nemo come on."

"What about Solidus?"

"He can handle it. Lets get out of here or we'll only be in his way."

Nemo reluctantly followed Pliskin as they along with Auel took point as they ran for the elevator while Auel was left wondering where Pliskin got the sword from since he couldn't recall seeing it inside the armory. At that moment outside the administration building near the Weapons Lab, a ZAFT pilot had climbed out of his DINN and was about to allow his replacement to take the machine into the air to fill in for his shift. The machine was recharged and ready to go, but a shadowy figure was coming at them from behind. Before anyone could react he leapt over them and hopped into the DINN.

"Who the hell!" The cockpit of DINN closed as the machine was activated while inside the cockpit the cyborg ninja Vamp and Solidus encountered was at the controls. The DINN spread forth its wings and took to the air as the ninja was already scanning the skies looking for the other ZAFT aerial mobile suits patrolling the skies.

From what he has gathered there should be a total of four DINNs counting the one he had commandeered. Maybe if he could keep it in the air long enough he could eliminate them and give his partner and allies an easier time of evacuating the hostages without having to worry about the DINNs shooting down their escape craft.

Once the DINN reached an attitude of several hundred feet above the base it found two DINNs and the third one was off to the west a couple clicks from his location in the air. Arming the mobile suit's 6-tube multipurpose launchers as well as taking aim with its heavy assault machine gun and anti-aircraft shotgun ready to start shooting the DINNs down.

After his control console gave him a confirmation saying target acquired, the ninja opened fire and the first DINN exploded. The second DINN picked up speed and turned around to launch an attack against the enemy DINN attacking them while the third DINN was coming about to provide aid.

The DINN controlled by the cyborg turned to its left trying to keep it in its sights on the enemy machine long enough to get a confirmed weapons lock before unleashing a wave of missiles. The ZAFT DINN managed to evade the projectiles, but Raiden targeted the DINN with his machine's anti-aircraft shotgun and took it out with a well place shot to the chest. The third DINN arrived moments later and opened fire on Raiden's DINN with its missiles coupled with several shots from its heavy assault rifle and shotgun.

Raiden pulled up and tried to avoid getting shot down, but his DINN on his tail took a shot to the leg and a part of the left wing was damaged. Raiden knew his machine wasn't going to last thanks to those hits on the wing he was unable to properly maneuver the mobile suit in the air. Raiden opened the cockpit and climbed out of the machine and made his way onto the machine's back just in time to leap into the air just as the enemy DINN destroyed the machine.

The pilot of the enemy DINN smiled, but he didn't know that Raiden had jumped onto the back of his machine. He almost didn't make it, but the explosion provided additional force to send him through the air and onto the DINN's back where Raiden took out his sword and began cutting open the DINN's back right above its main booster as he worked to remove a plate of metal to provide access to the machine's inner workings.

He pulled off the piece of armor plating and tossed it aside with his hands once he had cut and opened enough of it making it possible to remove and expose the inner workings of the mobile suit. At that point Raiden drew a six pound block of plastic explosives, set the timer, placed it inside the mobile suit right above the main booster and battery before running up to the right wing of the mobile suit and using his sword to slice a part of the wing off creating a make-shift surfboard to ride down back to the ground.

Raiden had planned to use those explosives to destroy the DINN he was piloting once he had destroyed the other three, but the situation forced him to use it on the last enemy machine. As Raiden descended to the ground on the sheet of metal he was riding he heard the explosives he planted detonating. He turned his head and looked back to see the DINN explode into a fireball.

The ride down to the ground wasn't exactly trouble-free, when Raiden was fifty feet away from the ground; he leapt to the roof of the linear tank hanger, which was about a ten to five foot drop. The cyborg soldier jumped off and landed on the roof. He dropped to his knees and rolled to the side before coming to a stop.

Raiden got back up to his feet before he started using his hands to dust himself off, but the cyborg wasn't alone on the roof. Another figure must have spotted him from the ground below and had leapt up onto the roof to engage the ninja. Raiden took a look at his foe and thought he wasn't only the biggest man he had seen, but the ugliest looking man he had ever seen as well.

The man stood nine feet tall with massive biceps of a Mr. Universe champion, but his skin was gray, horribly cracked and scale-like. He wore black and gray BDU paints, boots with a black sleeveless shirt. The man had no hair, but he had bloodshot red eyes, his lips were gone leaving his teeth exposed.

"Are you Solidus or the other intruder?"

"The other one." Raiden replied before he drew his sword again. "You are one of the Cobras aren't you?"

"I am call Furia the ferocity of my rage will crush you!" Furia placed brass knuckles on his hands before he rushed at Raiden to attack him.

Raiden evaded his first punch, and in turned stabbed the Cobra in the heart with his sword. Much to his surprise, Raiden looked up at the deformed man as he was laughing at the cyborg. Raiden pulled out his sword while drawing his knife intending to decapitate the man, but Furia grabbed the blades with his hands before he kicked Raiden in the chest knocking him to the ground. The large man tossed his blades aside to the other side of the roof.

"I am the immortal embodiment of hate, thanks to the genetic experiments preformed on me I cannot die just like the other one who came before me. Although I am failed attempted to recreate that man who has slightly improved regenerative powers I am more than enough to destroy you."

"Lets just see if you can pull if off." Raiden replied as he raised his fists ready to go head to head against Furia of the Cobras.

At that same moment the battle between Solidus and Nil was well underway as both soldiers were engaged in a deadly fight to the death as Solidus used his newly acquired High Frequency blade and knife to parry and attack Nil while his female opponent did the same. Solidus was forced to put away his knife when Nil's sword attacks were coming at him faster than before forcing the Orb agent to use both hands to handle the katana he held.

Solidus back flipped away from Nil behind one of the tables with a pair of chairs. Taking a moment to use a free hand, Solidus grabbed the chair and hurled it at Nil who promptly sliced it in half. But the chair was only a distraction as Solidus appeared right above her with his sword coming down towards her.

Although Nil blocked the blade with her own Solidus landed on both feet and kicked her in the stomach with enough force behind it to knock her flat on her back. The Orb agent brought his sword up above his head before it began its descent towards Nil, but the young woman was lightning fast and blocked blade with her sword.

Before Solidus could react the woman kicked Solidus's knee giving Nil an opportunity to push Solidus's sword up to give her an opening to roll away as Solidus's blade came down and struck the floor where Nil had been. Andrius raised his sword and was brining it around to strike Nil before she could get back to her feet.

However the young woman brought her legs up and spun them around to ward Solidus allow which provided her with just barely enough time to leap back up to her feet and block Solidus next swing with his blade. Nil took one hand off her blade and struck Solidus in the face with a punch to his jaw. The young coordinator was left staggering backwards for a few seconds as Nil raised her sword to take another swing at Solidus.

As Solidus blocked her next attack he looked at the woman's eyes as he asked himself: _These moves…I have seen them before, but where?_ Solidus kicked Nil in the knee before he kicked her knee to stun the woman allowing Solidus an opening to strike her. But Nil recovered and countered attack with a head butt to Solidus's face.

_Wait…I remember this woman, no way. _


	14. Ch 14 In the Darkness of Shadow Moses

Chapter 14

In the Darkness of Shadow Moses

Just a few feet outside the bottom floor of the administration building: Pliskin, Auel and Nemo along with the hostages in two behind them were engaged in a gunfight against an armed group of ZAFT special OPS soldiers carrying riot shields, shotguns and assault rifles. Auel and Nemo were laying down cover fire for Pliskin as the soldier drew a pair of pineapples, pulled the pins and threw them at the enemy soldiers.

As the enemy soldiers scattered to find cover, Auel and Pliskin switched over to railguns and began taking aim. After the grenade went off and anyone who escaped the blast were sent to meet their maker as Pliskin and Auel gunned down the enemy soldiers with a brutal assault of railgun projectiles that easily penetrated riot shields.

Once the group was certain the soldiers had been killed, Pliskin and Auel signaled for everyone to follow him out of the building and towards the dock, but behind them a pair of soldiers appeared and aimed their weapons at the hostages. "Help! Behind us!" One of the hostages shouted as Pliskin, Auel and Nemo turned around to deal with the enemy soldiers.

"Shit!" Pliskin said as he was trying to take aim, but he had trouble getting a clear shot at the two sentries. Suddenly a blast of nitrogen engulfed the soldiers and froze them solid in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell?" Auel shouted.

Azrael walked up to one of the frozen sentries and tapped it on the head, the sentry fell over and scattered into a dozen pieces. "That will be an unpleasant mess when those pieces thaw." Azrael commented.

"I suggest you keep moving." Python advised as he appeared from behind the frozen soldiers with a FAMAS commando assault rifle equipped with a 40mm M203 underbarrel grenade launcher in hand. "I take it you are trying to reach the port." Python asked as he approached.

Pliskin kept his gun trailed on Python as he walked passed the hostages.

"Why is a member of the Cobras giving us a hand, what is your plan?"

"There is no plan, I have left the Cobras after a little chat I had with Fox regarding your friend Solidus." Python face was expressionless while he was silent for a moment before he said, "Besides I have a debt I need to repay. Lets move it; I'll watch your back." Python took the safety off his rifle.

"Alright…let's move it people." Pliskin ordered as the group hurried down the snowy path towards the port.

The group wasted no time heading down towards the port, but while in route Pliskin turned to Auel and instructed "Auel call Sting and Stellar and tell them we're coming." Auel nodded as he used his codec to give the duo a call. Roughly around the same time, Solidus collided; back first, into a wall after receiving a kick to the chest from Nil. The female soldier came straight at him as Solidus quickly evaded her incoming swing from her sword.

The blade cut into the wall where Solidus's head had been as the young coordinator rolled to the right to avoid getting beheaded. When he noticed Nil's sword was struck in the wall he knocked her to the ground with a sweeping kick. The woman landed on her back. Although his sword and knife were a couple feet away, as the result of Solidus dropping them when Nil kicked him, Solidus seized the moment to counter attack as Nil was trying to get back up. He got up to one knee at the same time she did and punched her in the face knocking her flat on her back.

Solidus grabbed the woman's feet and lifted her up and began spinning around. When he had raised her into the air high enough, he released and sent the woman flying across the room until she slammed into doors. She hit the door hard, causing the hinges to fall apart and almost breaking the door in two. The door itself fell on top of Nil's body a moment later. Solidus walked over to his swords to recover them, but after picking them up, Nil was back on her feet ready for more.

Blood was coming out of her nose and her mouth as she Nil asked Solidus "How is this possible, how can you still be alive?"

"What are you rambling about?"

"No one can meet the prefect solider in battle and live, no one I have faced has ever survived. Why won't you just die?"

Nil rushed at Solidus who dropped his knife and katana on propose to take her on hand-to-hand. He relinquished his weapons to confirm something about the woman. Solidus assumed a CQC stance as the woman came straight at him. She threw a right hook at Solidus's face as he evaded it before countering with punch towards Nil's waist with his left hand. Nil countered it with her right hand Solidus tried to strike her again, but that was deflected by Nil's left hand.

Nil leapt into the air and seemingly disappeared from view, but she landed behind Solidus who was about to rush him. Solidus realized what she was doing and brought his leg around and nailed Nil in the stomach stunning her for a few moments. Long enough for Solidus to get behind her and hit her in the back with both hands brought together into a fist.

The woman dropped to her knees as Solidus took hold of her right arm and flipped her over his shoulder and sent her flying across the room into the wall. The woman was flat on her face, but not for very long. Seconds later she was slowly got back up to her feet as she told him.

"Tell me. Why are you still alive?"

"Because…not once did you ever win against me in hand to hand combat."

"What?"

"I know who you are; I remember your fighting style. It was a little over three years ago back in Orb. Before FOXHOUND was founded, you and I were among a small group of orphaned children who were missed placed as a result of the anti-coordinator sentiments or other reasons. Fox and Representative Char oversaw the collecting of a selected number of children who would become agents of FOXHOUND. I was with Noir Fox ever since I was little, but whenever she left for missions or other reasons I was looked after by Representative Char who was the closest thing I had a to father and Fox was the closet I had to a mother." Solidus said as he spoke he recalled all of his memories with them.

"But there was another child who was brought in for training. We were quite a pair, good friends, but ferocious rivals for the codename Snake. The last time I saw you Meer was during the training exercise we had on one of the remote islands. It was supposed to be for survival and live combat education, but an accident occurred and you disappeared. I thought you died, but I take it the Alliance had someone gotten a hold of you I take it. Isn't that right Meer Campbell?"

"Meer Campbell." The young woman asked as the mention of the name triggered something.

"That is your name, and your face is and hair is unmistakable. I didn't recognize you at first because of those goggles you wore, and you matured nicely into a good looking woman too." Andrius mused.

"You always made fun of me." Meer replied as she her expression suggested that she was struggling with something inside her mind.

"Yeah"

Suddenly Meer placed both hands on her head and let out a scream. "No I am Nil, and when I kill you I can go back to being Nil!" Meer obviously enraged and driven half insane by the mental struggle within herself rushed at Solidus. The young soldier stood ready to handle whatever Meer could dish out against him.

On the roof of one of Shadow Moses Linear Tank hangers, the fight between Raiden and Furia was underway as the two men were engaged in a fistfight against the other. Furia leapt back a few feet to get a running start on Raiden in an attempt to overwhelm him. Furia came at the white haired cyborg and threw a couple punches as Raiden evaded the first two and blocked the third with his arm.

To avoid a forth punch, Raiden dropped to the ground on his back and rolled to his left while raising his legs up and struck Furia in the face twice before leaping back up to his feet to punch the large man in the face. Furia stumbled back from the blows allowing Raiden a chance to pull out his side arm and unload seven shots into his foe's chest before he leapt over Furia to make his way towards the end of the roof where his sword and knife laid.

Not at all surprised, those shots to Furia's chest didn't bring him down. Now he was charging at Raiden with only a second or two of running space between them before the massive muscle bound fighter was upon the cyborg warrior. Taking his swords back into his hands he readied himself for the incoming enemy soldier.

At the moment Furia was upon him, Raiden began his assault against the large man. But with four swipes from his sword, Furia was decapitated and left lying on the ground with his arms and legs cut off and his head was sliced off. As severed pieces of the last member of the Cobras was scattered across the ground, but Raiden was left confounded as Furia's head started swearing at him.

"You bastard! Do you have any idea how much this stings?"

"How the hell are you still alive after that?"

"I told you I am immortal thanks to the attempts to endow me with the same regenerative abilities as another solider who lived long ago possessed. Cut me up all you want, but I can die you stupid bastard." Furia declared as Raiden looked down at him wondering if he should try slashing up the enemy soldier a couple of times more. Instead Raiden put away his sword and knife before walking away. "Hey where the hell are you going?"

"I am wasting my time talking to you."

"Come back here you chicken! Come back and get what is coming to you, I'll bite your legs off."

Raiden leapt off the edge of the roof and disappeared into the night as Furia kept swearing at him, but his arms were moving towards his body by means of the fingers on each arm dragging them towards the body. Furia smiled as he neglected to mention that thanks to the complex and advance network of nanomachines inside his body he can control his arms, legs and body in event he is decapitated in the same fashion as Raiden had done him in. Furia grinned with the knowledge in a little while he'll be back on his feet again.

At the same time at the port where the ZAFT VTOL Seaplane laid waiting with Stellar and Sting assuming defensive positions around it taking over behind crates lying near the aircraft. Both Extended humans were armed with assault rifles and were ready to take out anyone who attempted to stop the approaching group as well as defend the seaplane.

Although Stellar was watching the sea behind them instead of keeping a look out which prompted Sting to turn his head around and inform her. "Damn it Stellar this is not time for that, Auel and the others will be here so. Stay sharp." Stellar turned her attention away from the sea and focus on the task at hand while her face assumed a more serious expression.

Not too far away: Pliskin, Auel, Nemo, Python, Azrael and the rest of the hostages were drawing closer to the harbor. Up ahead a pair of sentries noticed the group coming and began aiming their weapons at them. Before the soldiers could shout, "halt" Pliskin and Python gunned them down. The sound of gunfire alerted the soldiers patrolling the harbor to the approaching group as they began moving to engage them.

When Sting and Stellar had a clean shot at the first two soldiers stepping into their line of sight they opened fire upon them. The other enemy soldiers, confused for a moment, but had another problem. Oil barrels began floating up into the air just seconds before they were sent flying at enemy sentries.

Four were crushed to death while Snake, Python, Auel, Sting and Stellar quickly capped off anyone who survived or evaded the flying barrels. Python fired a grenade from his rifle at a sentry hiding behind a large pile of crates. The explosion sent the enemy soldier flying.

"Everyone run for the seaplane." Pliskin shouted as the hostages followed suit with Azrael running ahead of the group. Another group of sentries was arriving to provide assistance to the sentries guarding the harbor, but found that they had been killed. Suddenly a barrage of railgun rounds mixed with assault rifle fire filed the air and sent the sentries to meet their maker.

Azrael reached the open hatch leading to the interior of the plane, but stopped to look back at Nemo. "Isn't she our little project?"

"I don't think this is the time to think about reclaiming her Azrael." The President warned as Nemo shot both men a look suggesting she would not think twice about killing if they tired.

The look was enough to scare Azrael as the rifles of the killed enemy sentries suddenly started to float into the air and pointed themselves at the two men. "Uh…good point." Azrael replied with some reluctance, but who was he to argue with someone who had the abilities to kill people with but a thought.

Stellar and Sting withdrew into the plane so they could get to the controls to start the engines up. Auel hurried into the plane after the hostages pilled in, but stayed by the door with a railgun rifle in hand to shoot down any enemy mobile suits that may come after them.

"Hey aren't you three coming?" Auel asked.

"I am staying here…I am not leaving this place with those men nor without Solidus." Nemo declared.

"I am staying as well to give the kid back up." Pliskin answered.

"I owe that boy a debt, so I am staying around for the fight." Python remarked with a smile.

"Fine, but you better not die you got that pops." Auel replied as he looked at Pliskin.

"Don't worry. There were plenty of times when I should have been killed, but I always manage to pull through." Pliskin answered as he armed himself with both railgun rifles.

"Alright then" Auel said as he shouted to Sting and Stellar. "Take off; these three are staying to give that Solidus guy back up."

"Roger!" Sting called from the cockpit as the plane began to pull away from the harbor. Within a few minutes the trio watched the plane lift off and fly away into the sky. Once the plane was out of site, Pliskin decided to give Solidus a call.

"Pliskin here, Solidus what is your status?"

After a short pause Solidus came on the line "Solidus here, did the hostages make it?"

"They have taken off in the seaplane and are safe; your first mission objective is complete."

"Good news."

"What about you?"

"I am taking a break in a broom closet so I can speak to you from fighting Meer."

"A bloom closet and who is Meer; that ninja we saw."

"Yeah, turns out she is another pet project the Alliance has been working on. Before she was a recruit for FOXHOUND both completing for the codename Snake. It's a long story."

"Now I take she is trying to kill you."

"Those Alliance bastards did one hell of a job brainwashing her and turning her into a killing machine."

"I hear you…we'll try and get back there to give you a hand."

"No you guys head to the Weapons Lab, I'll meet you there as soon as I can take care of her."

"You sure about that?"

"Trust me I can handle her. I'll call you guys back once I make it out of here."

"Roger that." Solidus ended the conversation between him and Pliskin before giving Sutherland and Representative Char a call.

"General Roosevelt and Major Tom, this is Solidus, all of the hostages have escaped are in route by means of a captured ZAFT seaplane."

"Excellent work Solidus." Tom replied.

"Yes we have confirmation of a seaplane leaving the island and heading for JOSH-A. I'll dispatch fighters to escort it. It seems you have pulled it off."

"Yeah and next is the Weapons Lab according to the President the rouge ZAFT soldiers brought a pair of nuclear missiles equipped with some kind of Neutron Jammer Canceller. They are planning to launch a nuclear strike against Washington D.C. and Panama using Metal Gear NEO it's been their objective the whole time. They'll be launching the missiles in less than an hour according to the President."

"Good Lord, are you sure?" Sutherland commented.

"Those crazy bastards, Solidus you are to destroy Metal Gear NEO using whatever means necessary. Just stop that launch."

"I agree…I would like Metal Gear NEO captured intact, but if they activate it then you must destroy it. We don't care how at this point since the hostages are safe but stop Metal Gear NEO."

"Understood" Solidus ended the codec communication just in time as a HF blade cut through the door. "Oh so you found me." Solidus took his HF blade back into his hand and slammed into the door breaking it off its hinges. Solidus kept going and smashed Meer and the door into the wall behind her.

The door fell forward as Meer was trying to regain her posture, but a jet of water hitting her in the side sent her down to the ground. Solidus was blasting Meer with a water hose he grabbed that was just outside the broom closet he was in. Solidus turned off the hose and rushed towards her ready to strike her with the bunt side of his HF blade.

Solidus had no intention of killing the woman, but with the threat of a nuclear strike he had to end the battle now. Taking his blade as the woman leapt back up to her feet to avoid Solidus first swing, but the Orb agent saw the move coming, as he didn't swing his blade. Instead struck her in the right side of her waist with everything he could pour into the blow.

Meer tried to block, but she didn't react fast enough and was struck by the bunt side of the blade with such force that her mouth dropped and was left hanging open before coughing up blood. The impact of the blade knocked her to the wall on her left hand side. Meer was on her knees as she was grasping for air as the blow had knocked the wind out of her. The battle between them had finally taken its toll on Meer, and not a moment too sooner since Andrius wasn't sure if he could have kept exchanging blows with her as he was trying to catch his breath.

"Damn you're tougher than you were before." Solidus remarked as he let out a deep breath. Meer grinned as she answered.

"I remember now, you always defeated me no matter how hard I fought against you. I guess you have really earned the codename Snake." Meer looked up at Solidus with an expression suggesting that the internal conflict within her mind had ended and whatever brainwashing was done to her had reserved itself.

"Nah, you did great Meer. You deserve the codename as much as I do."

Meer laughed, "Still the same modest kid I remember."

"I am sorry when we thought you were killed in that training exercise you were gone. I had no idea the Alliance had captured you and put you through that hell."

"Solidus…I was never captured, that accident was a set up to cover for my supposed death. I was handed to the Atlantic Federation for their re-established Perfect Solider program. The Seiran and Sahaku Families were trying to earn favor with the Atlantic Federation and seeing how I was second best next to you…I was picked as a gift for their experiments."

Solidus was left speechless, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but that statement prompted him to ask, "Did Noir Fox know about what happened to you?"

"Yes"

"Bastard, and how could Fox allow this to happen?"

"She said those were her orders given to her, she was the one who defeated me and handed me to the Federation." Solidus's fists tightened as the thought of what Meer was put through because of the actions of the noble families of Orb and Fox enraged him. Meer placed one hand on his face and smiled at him.

"How could she?" Solidus said as he struggled with his mixed feelings regarding fox.

"Thank you for saving me." Meer said as she lost consciousness and passed out. Solidus looked down at her beaten and battered form. He could only begin to imagine what Meer was put through based on the treatment Nemo had received.

The thoughts of what she may have possibly endured only added fuel to his growing hatred for those involved with Meer's disappearance and introduction into the Alliance's Perfect Solider Project. Solidus lifted the woman up and proceeded to carry her on one shoulder as he retrieved her blade and knife before heading to the elevator to leave the administration building.

Once he was gone, a figure using optical sheath camouflage deactivated it for a moment to switch to a new power cell. Vamp had been observing the battle and his smile suggested he enjoyed the free entertainment. "Good work small one, maybe its time for you and I to face one another." Vamp reactivated his camouflage and disappeared as he was following Solidus closely.

One aboard the elevator, Solidus gave Pliskin a call. "Pliskin this is Solidus do you read me?"

There was a moment of silence before he got an answer. "Pliskin here what is your status?"

"I defeated Meer and I am on my way down. With my friend in tow, where are you guys?"

"We're approaching the base of the administration facility. We're taking a route through a small cluster of trees to avoid the enemy; we saw them send a large number of enemy sentries to the harbor."

"Then I'll meet you guys in the forest on the way to the weapons lab."

"I don't think you'll have any problems, judging by the looks of things any sentries that haven't been sent to the harbor to look for us have all been instructed to defend the weapons lab according to Python when we listened in on a radio conversation."

"Python?"

"Yeah Python joined up with us and gave us a hand."

"I see."

"Something about repaying a debt, that is what he said."

"Ok…well I am not questioning it."

"Neither I am."

"Ok I'll see you guys in a few minutes Solidus out."


	15. Chapter 15 The Terrible Children

A/N: Another chapter done and we're getting close to the end. Since I have a good momentum going right now lets see if I can bring this fic home and finish it.

Chapter 15

The Terrible Children

Pliskin, Nemo and Python were walking through a snow covered woodland area while evading possible pursuit from enemy soldiers. As the trio journeyed through the area Pliskin turned to Python and asked "So exactly why did you leave the Cobras and what was this little chat you had with Fox was all about?"

"You have been very careful with shielding your thoughts regarding it." Nemo commented.

"I am not surprised you tired to probe my mind, you have the same abilities as Ursula did."

"Ursula?" Pliskin asked.

"Back in the 70s before the FOX unit of the CIA was disbanded and FOXHOUND was founded there was a powerful psychic and ESP user named Ursula. She looked exactly like you except you might be older than she was when she died in 1970. I was served in the FOX unit along with her. I didn't know her personally, but I could say I knew her as a fellow comrade. But Ursula was merely the name of the powerful side of the same woman, due to experiments designed to artificially augment her powers her suffered from a unique form of spilt-personality disorder. Ursula was left without emotions and remorse as a result of the experiments."

"Then what was her real name?"

"Elisa, her true self, but when her personality was in control her powers very weak. But unlike her darker half she was a much kinder and gentle woman."

"A good side and a dark side?" Pliskin commented.

"Yes…I remember when Big Boss told me how close she came to killing him when they fought."

"You knew Big Boss?"

"Yes we knew each since Vietnam when we were both young men, your father was one hell of poker player." Python said as he remembered the days he shared with Big Boss and the times when he lost almost every poker game he had challenged him to.

"My father?" Pliskin said as he was left surprised by the last half of Python's statement.

"Drop the act Solid Snake. You are a mirror image of Big Boss minus the eye patch, I knew Big Boss better than most people. I know all about you Solid Snake, or is it Old Snake now?"

"Heh" Snake smiled as he figured there was no point in hiding the truth now. "You figured it out the minute you saw my face didn't you?"

"Yes, and I am surprised as well as curious to how you managed to live this long. Unless you were placed in cold storage like Fox was for a time."

"Actually that is what happened?"

"So it is true, at the end of what should have been your final mission you disappeared. Rumors persisted that your body was recovered by the U.S. government and kept in a suspended animation after you were knocked into a coma during your last battle against Liquid Ocelot. Your partner told me what had happened when I met him a few years after what happened. He hired me and called your friend Raiden to find you, but I was never successful…they kept moving you every week from one facility to the next to making it impossible to locate you before they moved you again. Then before we knew it, Otacon disappeared six years after hiring me."

"Yeah, but Raiden managed to find me at a lab at Lodonia near the black sea a few months ago."

"So Raiden was successful."

"Getting me out wasn't easy. After that we went looking for Otacon, and traced him here."

"I had a feeling that was it. Otacon is inside the Weapons Lab being forced to put the finishing touches on Metal Gear NEO."

"I figured as much, but did you try to get him out."

"I did after I had a chat with Fox, but Fox stopped me. That woman nearly killed me. She threw me out of the lab."

"What was this chat you had with Fox?"

"It was about Andrius and the nature of his operation. I learned something that surprised me."

"What do you mean?" Nemo asked, as she seemed curious.

"You remember the Les Enfants Terribles project?" Python began.

"Yeah, they used Big Boss's cell samples were extracted and then reproduced through analog cloning combined with the Super Baby method that led to the creation of three children, one with inferior genes, superior and a masterful balance of both."

"Correct: Solid, Liquid and Solidus Snake were born."

"But that wasn't the end of it; the Genome Project came afterwards where soldier genes from Big Boss were transplanted into the bodies of test subjects to create new generation soldiers."

"Yeah, but all of them never worked out in one way. Look at me for instant; I am forty years old, but thanks to Big Boss's cells I have the appearance and genetics of a seventy-year-old man due to cellar degeneration. As for the Genome Soldiers, they were suffering from a number of different problems."

"Correct, but that still didn't stop them from conducting further experiments with your father's genes. I learned from Fox the details of their latest experiment involving Big Boss's genetics. They began the Les Enfants Terribles anew using data collected from the original Les Enfants Terribles, and an interesting new technology developed by a man known as Ulen Hibiki. This time they succeeded in creating three perfectly developed children of Big Boss, and like before each of them were given a codename identical to the ones you and your brothers received."

"Hold on are you telling me there are more children of Big Boss now? More clones?"

"Not exactly clones; I found out that the mother who offered up the unborn children required was a child of Big Boss herself conceived between a clone of Big Boss like yourself and a woman. The woman they gave birth to was altered before she was born and so she was born coordinator and as such she inherited much of her father's genetic traits. When she became pregnant, not even a mouth into pregnancy the undeveloped embryos within her were extracted and placed into Ulen's invention the artificial womb allowing the scientists involved to have complete control over the embryo's development. They infused more of Big Boss's cells to not only ensure Big Boss's genetic traits would surface in the children, but it would keep the bloodline pure."

"You mean they were born outside her womb?"

"Yes; although Ulen was still having trouble with his artificial womb he was building, but thanks in part to the successor organization of the Patriots and information collected by a young agent of theirs they completed and developed the first working artificial womb before Ulen did."

"But how did they do it?" Nemo asked.

"The organization that replaced the Patriots got their hands on the technology that far surpassed what Ulen had at his disposal held by the Patriots. Not to mention key scientific techniques which allowed the men overseeing the project to complete a working artificial womb first and create the new grandchildren of Big Boss."

"Yeah the Patriots held certain information and technologies under lock and key from the general public." Pliskin added.

"Two of the children were born first, one holding the superior genetic traits of Big Boss, his dominant genes while the other was born with his recessive genes. The third child was held back until their birth so final adjustments and genetic alterations could be made creating the perfectly balanced genetic masterpiece of the trio."

"Just like Solidus." Snake's expression changed displaying that he had just figured everything out. "Then that kid…he."

"Yes…now you are catching on. He was the child held back, the third and final child born. The Solidus Snake you have encountered is the next generation model of the original Solidus Snake. Like his predecessor before him, he was created artificially to be the greatest of the three children a perfectly balanced creation with both recessive and dominant genes. Thanks to the artificial womb they believe it's possible to bring out the best traits in one creation, but has eliminated the possibility of suffering any genetic defects or cellar degeneration since he isn't a pure clone per say like you and your brothers were."

"Then he is like me, an experiment made for military purposes." Nemo remarked sadly.

"Exactly, after all three children were born they were sent to different countries to be raised. Solidus to Orb, Fox mentioned one child was sent to the PLANTs to stay with the mother as for the other one I have no idea which country he was given to, I think it may have been the Eurasia Federation."

"Then I guess that makes me an uncle?" Snake asked.

"In a way." Python replied.

"Are you sure about this?" Nemo asked as the revaluation of what this type of information might do to Andrius, he had enough troubles on his mind and Nemo knew it better than anyone with her.

"I heard it from Fox myself and" Python paused for a moment as he recalled his fight against Andrius and the one he had against Big Boss in 1970 during the Fox unit revolt. "A feeling…its something I can't explain, but while I was fighting Andrius I felt or rather I saw something in the boy that reminded me of Big Boss. I wonder if it was the eyes, but while I was fighting him I swear the battle had a strong nostalgic feeling to it. The way he fought and how he spoke. I know it sounds strange, but I couldn't shake the feeling."

"I see" Snake commented as he recalled the times he saw Big Boss prior to the Outer Heaven incident in 1995. "But that's not the only reason is it, there is more."

"I learned from Fox that creating new children of Big Boss wasn't the end of it, but rather only the beginning. Solidus is right now in the neck of it, somehow this whole incident carries something pointing to it."

"What do you mean?"

"The first two missions Big Boss took part in before becoming Big Boss were the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater. Andrius told me the names of his past mission and the name his current mission had been given and they were the same…the exact same names, and what happened to Big Boss in Operation Snake Eater is happening to Solidus now. Battling the Cobras and destroying a nuclear equipped tank; are you beginning to see the similarities, and to think its all taking place at a location where you conducted a mission yourself."

"It sounds like this is a Patriot set up they conducted a similar mission Raiden had done for them, but in the end it turned out the whole thing was an elaborate set-up designed to be a recreation of Shadow Moses. What do they have to gain from creating another Big Boss?"

"Your guess is as good as mines Snake. I couldn't find out from Fox the true purpose of her defection. But somehow I suspect everything between Solidus and Fox was meant to create a relationship that is parallel to the relationship between Big Boss and his mentor the Boss."

"But exactly how do we explain this to Solidus?" Nemo asked.

"It will be hard, but it's the truth and I think he has to know otherwise sooner or later he'll find out one way or another." Python pointed out.

Meanwhile at the same time, Solidus had reached the bottom floor of the administration building with Meer on his shoulders. The two walked into what seemed to be a lobby with a reception desk in one corner of the room with a pair of glass doors ahead of them along with four pillars positioned ahead of them complete with potted planets near the doors.

Suddenly Solidus heard a familiar sound and immediately realized what it was. Before he did anything else he rushed over to the reception desk and dashed Meer's unconscious form under the reception desk and thanks to the decorative wall in front of the reception desk the woman was hidden as well as protected from the ensuring fight. Solidus emerged from behind the desk with his 45 ready as he saw Shalashaska step out from behind one of the pillars, although he appeared the same; however he had a second gun belt going over his right shoulder holding a second revolver on a holster on his back near his waist.

"Well we meet again; it seems you survived Olvido and even your fight against Nil." Shalashaska raised his hands up and began clapping. "You are really impressive…brother."

"Brother?" A confused Solidus asked.

"My actual codename is Liquid Snake. I know who you are Andrius and your codename Solidus Snake was a nice touch. At last we finally met the brother of darkness meeting the brother of twilight. I have been looking forward to this day when I could meet one of my brothers."

"What the hell are you rambling about?"

"Dear brother…I am not surprised Fox never told you. You and I along with our brother up at the PLANTs are all part of a secret project called the Les Enfants Terribles project. Its purpose was to create the ultimate super soldier using the genetics of the greatest soldier that had ever lived…Big Boss. We are his grandchildren Solidus and we have born with the great honor of carrying his genes. Before us the original Les Enfants Terribles project produced the first children of Big Boss and then afterwards much later it was began again using the technology that created Professor Ulen Hibiki's Ultimate Coordinator. We were born to be the greatest soldiers ever created, we are vastly superior to the last children conceived through the project and we have no genetic defects what so ever, we're perfect. However" Liquid paused.

"You see…while you were given a masterful balance of both of the old man's recessive and dominant genes, but I was given the flawed, recessive genes while our older brother got the old man's dominant genes. I'm just the leftovers of what they used to make you and older brother. Can you understand what it's like to know that you're garbage since the day you were born?"

Solidus remained quiet as he kept his gun pointed at Liquid.

"Nothing to say, I understand if you have a hard time taking this in. But no matter, although my orders state I am not to kill you, but that doesn't stop me from fighting you to test myself. This time we fight for real." Liquid remarked with a grin as he drew forth his revolvers. "It's just you and me; no one to get in our way. I prefer to hunt alone." Liquid drew his revolvers and proceeded to show off by twirling them around on his fingers. "This time, I've got twelve shots…six shots is enough to kill anything that moves, but twelve is more than enough to deal with you." Liquid twirled his revolvers some more before placing both of them back in their respective holsters.

Solidus was ready to face his so-called brother as Liquid shouted out "Ok…draw!"

Solidus was about to pull the trigger, but to his surprise Liquid drew his gun and shot the gun from the young agent's hand with lightning fast hand movements. Solidus was surprised, but this confirmed what he had suspected about Liquid…he had been holding back during each of their encounters. Solidus's gun was knocked to the ground lying a couple feet from where he stood, but the Orb agent was left with no time to retrieve it as he ducked for cover behind a pillar as Liquid fired three shots at him.

Afterwards, Solidus made a dash for his gun and to avoid getting shot by Liquid he dropped to the ground and slid across to his weapon. Solidus grabbed his gun just in time to block a bullet that came close to striking him in the head using the side of his 45 to deflect it. Liquid put away his first revolver and focused on using his second against his brother.

Solidus returned to his feet and dived for cover behind a pillar while Liquid took aim with his revolver and fired a couple shots. Using the room around him to provide an advantage he struck specific areas of the room to cause the bullets to ricochet and head straight at Solidus. Remembering Liquid's fighting tactics from their first encounter, Solidus evaded the bullets by deflecting them with his knife and the side of his gun.

As Liquid emptied the shells from his first revolver to reload he spoke to his brother with his back against a pillar.

"Not bad baby brother, I expected no less from my own brother who shares Big Boss's DNA." Liquid finished loading his first revolver with six bullets. "I also must thank you for introducing me to the revolver, the tension…it's unlike anything I have ever felt before...it's a revolution. It's so different from changing a clip." Liquid had a smile on his face as he raised both revolvers up ready for more.

Solidus looked out from behind the pillar trying to see where Liquid was, however he noticed something on the glass doors. Solidus saw were Liquid was because his reflection could be seen on the glass doors behind the gunfighter. Andrius smiled as he took aim and decided to play it Liquid's way and fire one of his bullets and use the ricochet effect off the metal pipe Solidus was eyeing, on the ceiling just right of Liquid, to score a hit.

Solidus put his idea into action before Liquid could move, whipping out his 45 he fired three shots, the two shots knocked the revolvers from Liquid's hands while the third came close to striking Liquid in the head, but the young man ducked just in time. Not even allowing Liquid a chance to regain his balance, Solidus rushed to the white haired man and tackled him after delivering a punch to his face.

Both Snakes tumbled to the ground with Solidus on top of Liquid as the Orb agent proceeded to give his brother a beating. Andrius punched his brother's face six times before Liquid retaliated by using his foot to push Solidus back while he used his other foot to roll the two teens over switching their positions while Liquid began striking Solidus in the face with a fierce counter attack of seven punches to the face.

In response Solidus head butted his older brother in the face before pushing him off of his body. Liquid got back up to his feet, as did Solidus before the two went at it once more. Liquid tackled his brother and slammed him into a stone pillar as he began delivering one head butt after another on the young man.

Solidus brought his leg up and pushed his brother away, he looked at Liquid before dropping to a CQC stance. Liquid assumed a stance that almost mirrored Solidus's own stance. Liquid attacked first as he grabbed Solidus's arm and pulled it behind the Orb Agent's body, but Solidus freed himself by head butting Liquid in the face right before he turned his body about and switched their positioned with Solidus holding Liquid's arm right behind him.

Although Liquid did try to head butt his brother, Solidus saw it coming and moved his head back. Changing his tactics, Liquid stabbed Solidus in the leg with the spurs on his boot. His grip weakened for a moment, which provided Liquid a chance to get away and take Solidus by the arm, but only this time he was planning to break it. However the young FOXHOUND agent countered by stiffing his arm right before kicking Liquid in the stomach to stop the gunfighter in his tracks before he could break his arm.

The young man stumbled back as Solidus grabbed him by the arm and the shoulder and slammed his older brother head first into a pillar before grabbing him and throwing him out of the lobby through the glass door. Liquid landed in the snow outside while he tired to get back up to his feet. He heard a click and looked back at his younger brother to see that he was aiming his 45 at him.

"You may be good with a revolver, but when it comes to hand to hand…I am better than you." Solidus declared as his brother, Liquid looked at him while blood was coming out of the small cuts he had on his face near the two burses on his forehead. Liquid eyed Meer getting up behind the reception desk behind Solidus.

"You were lucky brother, but we'll meet again." Liquid declared as he gave Solidus a certain someone's traditional hand gesture before running away. Solidus holstered his gun once his brother was gone. He could have killed Liquid, but didn't feel right shooting a man in the back, especially if he was unarmed.

Solidus turned around when he heard someone moan, that was when he saw Meer struggling to stand up as she held one hand on top of her head. Andrius rushed over to her and offered his hand while he asked, "Are you alright?" Meer looked at him and smiled before she punched him in the face shouting.

"That was smashing me through a table."

"Sorry" Andrius rubbed his check where he struck him "but you were trying to kill me."

"True, but damn…you hit me with everything you could get your hands on in that conference room but the kitchen sink."

"Well I had to stop you in a way that wouldn't have resulted in your death SOMEHOW."

"I guess so, but it looks like I did a number on you." Meer noted as she looked at Solidus's black eye on the right side of his face, the burse under his chin, and the four small cuts on his face. Of course this wasn't including the unseen injuries Meer and others had inflicted on him, but thankfully for Solidus they were minor injuries such as a couple light cuts, burses and the newest wound Liquid had inflicted on his leg.

"You're not the only one." Solidus remarked as he drew a small bottle of antibiotic from his equipment belt and applied it on the place where Liquid had struck him with the spur to prevent infection right before he used a special sealant over the hole to not only seal the hole in his sneaking suit, but to also close the wound as well acting as a type of battlefield bandage. "There is about no one left who hasn't landed a couple of hits on me yet."

"That rough huh?"

"Yeah, but how the hell did up being put through something like this?"

Meer expression changed to an expression displaying sadness as she left out a deep sigh before explaining. "Apparently I was part of a deal for the Sahaku and Seiran Families to gain favor with the Atlantic Federation. They needed a well-trained soldier for their project to use as a lab rat, and I was the one they picked. They used technology to shut out my body's five senses completely, and virtually everyone before me it was tried on went mad in minutes. It was like being a baby who is coming into the world for the first time all over again. But it was all part of the project, which was designed to help hone senses of the subject, namely me, to a razor sharpness. Thanks to that I can read the enemy's movements and learn them faster than any normal person ever could."

"How did you endure such training?"

"I barely managed to survive, but the project ended in failure since no one else was able to survive it but me. That is why I was given the codename Nil…I am a lost number; I don't have a project number or even a name. Instead the Alliance put me to work doing nothing but wet works."

"Against ZAFT?"

"No…within the Alliance."

"What?"

"You see, there are some within the Alliance who do not approve of the Atlantic Federation's methods especially those who are members of Blue Cosmos holding control over the majority of the Alliance. In order to protect its influence and prevent any one to leave the Alliance or attempt to destabilize Blue Cosmos's power base within the Alliance I was deployed to eliminate those elements." Tears began to stream from Meer's face. "I wiped out whole families, women and children along with my target to ensure no one would question what happened. It would appear that they had died either during a robbery or whatever was suitable for the Atlantic Federation to use as an excuse to cover the whole thing up."

"Those bastards."

"Personally I wished you had killed me."

"Huh?"

"Even now as I remember everything that happened I am haunted by the images of those I have killed in cold blood. The screaming of the children I have slain continues to tear at my mind and soul. Even the cries of the mothers and fathers who begged me for mercy will not end." Meer broke down into tears as Solidus took the woman into his arms and hugged her in an attempt to console her. Although Solidus didn't know what he could say or do to make it better, but one thing was certain, when Solidus returned to Orb…there would be hell to pay.


	16. Chapter 16 Plunge into Darkness

Chapter 16

Plunge into Darkness

Meanwhile inside the Weapons Lab, Noir Fox was standing with General Sadique on top of a catwalk overlooking Metal Gear NEO as they watched a group of ZAFT special ops agents operating loading cranes. The ZAFT agents were loading the first nuclear missile into one of the railgun cannons on the NEO.

"In another forty minutes we'll be ready to launch our nuclear strike."

"Even with the prisoners freed they will be unable to react against us fast enough to stop the launch." Fox commented.

"Exactly, but I am making one minor change in plans." Sadique began with a smile.

"What change?"

"Instead of destroying Panama I think I'll destroy the Orb Union's capital instead."

"What?"

"Think about what would happen if the Orb Union was hit by a nuclear weapon built and fired from an Atlantic Federation Base, and near JOSH-A especially?" Fox stayed silent, but a signal drop of sweat fell down the side of her face. "The people of the Orb Union would be outraged and angry with the Federation for attacking them, and they will be drawn into the war on ZAFT's side. With Orb's remaining power behind ZAFT the balance of power will tip in their favor. With Morgenroete helping the PLANTs manufacture new and more powerful weapons, the PLANT will crush the Atlantic Federation and at the right moment my country will throw its weight behind the PLANTs ensuring victory against the Alliance."

"What about Panama?" Fox asked.

"Don't worry Fox...ZAFT will deal with it in good time. Won't they my friend?" Sadique said as he turned to another man approaching them. He was wearing a white ZAFT commander's uniform of a high rank signifying this man commanded a Special Forces team. He had long blonde hair and was wearing a trademark white mask.

"I agree General, although Chairman Zala would like to see Panama destroyed. However he does agree that the idea of Orb being dragged into the war on the PLANT's side would be of a greater benefit to both of our countries. The weapons and technology that country develops would be a great asset to possess. Of course that is depending if the country isn't wiped out entirely by that missile."

"I'll have it hit the far corner of the main island thus reducing possible damage to Morgenroete and Orb's industrial areas on Onogoro. I doubt there will be enough left for Orb to be considered a country, but if nothing is left then there is always Heliopolis where the Orb government is currently assisting with the Atlantic Federation's new secret prototype mobile weapons."

"Indeed…there is always Heliopolis, but either way there are other benefits. An nation that has declared itself neutral destroyed mercilessly by the Atlantic Federation will encourage the remaining neutral nations to join the PLANTs together to combat the evil and tyrannical Federation. Even those within the Alliance would begin to turn against the Atlantic Federation."

"You two have a point. The balance of power in the war would tip significantly in ZAFT's favor." Fox pointed out as she agreed with the chance in target.

"Now General…I must prepare to return to Carpentaria."

"Did you extract everything you wanted from the computer databanks here?"

"Yes. The technical specs and test data for Metal Gear NEO, the information regarding the Perfect Solider Project and information on that psychic girl traveling around with Solidus along with data regarding the new prototype weapons being created at Heliopolis. Chairman Zala will find all this data very interesting once I deliver it to him."

"When were you planning to leave?"

"According to my informant within the Alliance there will be an open window in the Alaska's radar and tracking of the surrounding airspace allowing me a chance to slip away with my souvenirs in hand. Liquid will be accompanying me to Carpentaria and I'll give him a copy of the data I have here to take back to his country."

"I would like to thank you and Chairman Zala for all the help you have given us Commander Le Creuset."

Rau Le Creuset smiled as he presented Fox and Sadique with a salute "I speak on behalf of Chairman Zala when I say that we are more than happy to lend aid to those who are enemies of the Atlantic Federation, but I would like to say that I am pleased with how everything has been turning out. Although there have been some problems caused by that boy running around, nothing can stop that is about to happen."

"I agree…I have called every remaining soldier we have save for the group I sent out to look for the intruders to the weapons lab to fortify its defenses. If Solidus wants to stop us he'll have to come here to destroy Metal Gear NEO. Once I engage its Phase Shift Armor upon activation he'll have no way of destroying it."

"Yes…there is no weapon on this island that can punch through Phase Shift Armor." Rau noted with a grin.

"I'll go and examine the defenses to see if they are adequate enough to hold back Solidus and the other intruders." Fox announced as he turned around and left the two military commanders, Rau shot Fox a glance while he carried a smile on his face as the female soldier walked away.

Several minutes later near the Weapons Lab: Snake, Python and Nemo were hiding behind a cluster of trees with the Weapons Lab in sight about several yards ahead, but there was a problem. The entrance to the Lab itself was extremely well defended, the last remaining GINNs mobile suits and the CGUE surrounded the facility while on the roof Snake and Python saw a number of snipers with soldiers armed with heavy weapons such as FIM-95 Stinger Rocket Launchers, RH-Alan RGB6 grenade launchers and some soldiers had old M-63 heavy machines with another fellow soldier helping them with the long ammo belt linked to the weapon to provide an almost endless spray of bullets. .

The soldiers on the ground around the base's entrances paired up in groups of ten to twenty heavily armed groups were armed with Colt M4 M203 rifles, RH-Alan RGB6 grenade launchers, Franchi Spas 12 shotguns, or P90 submachine guns. Their equipment was the same equipment used by the Special Forces search teams Raiden encountered in the warehouse following his run-in with Vamp. They were also using Riot shields to provide protect against attackers.

Further assessment of the grounds around the facility revealed that the surrounding area was also being protected by Gun cyphers and surveillance cyphers while the ground below them was protected by invisible stealth landmines and claymores. Getting into the Weapons Lab would be troublesome, very troublesome. Snake and Python both knew that getting into the Lab now would be very difficult, but time wasn't against them then their would be a chance the two could formulate a plan to bypass the security protecting the place and get in. But the time to search for another way in was a luxury they didn't have.

"This isn't good." Snake commented.

"I know its not good…even if we took out the mobile suits first with the railguns those soldiers would be bombing our asses with those Stingers and gunfire before we could move to a safer location." Python replied.

"And we don't have much time to look for another way in do?" Nemo asked.

"I'll call Solidus and let him know where we're at." Snake turned on his codec and gave the young man a call to see where he was at currently.

A few minutes earlier: not too far away from the administration building, Solidus and Meer were walking together through a snowy field towards the Weapons Lab to rendezvous with Snake and the others. The two were moving through the field: The two began to indulge themselves in a conversation about recent events leading up to what was happening at Shadow Moses.

"So Fox betrayed the Orb Union and destroyed HQ along with having killed most of people there during the attack."

"Yeah, and I got lucky and survived when that freak with the throwing knives dragged me out of there."

"That sounds strange; it seems…like the weird guy with knives saved you to ensure that you would be sent on this mission?"

"Now that you mention it…I suspect that might be the reason." Solidus suddenly heard his codec beeping prompting him to pick it up. Solidus's heard Pliskin's voice on the line as he asked.

"Solidus where are you?"

"We're a minute or two away from the Weapons Lab. Once we make it over those hills straight ahead we'll see the Lab."

"Solidus head a few clicks east, they have fortified that Lab into a small fortress with mobile suits, mines, and gun cyphers. They got enough guards around the place to hold off a small army, all armed with heavy firepower. Storming the place is out of the question and so is trying to sneak pass the sentries. The way I see it, even if we managed to take out all those men and the mobile suits there is still the problem of the enemy activating NEO during the firefight to engage its Phase Shift Armor which Python tells me can withstand any weapon the Alliance has on this base."

"Not good, any ideas?"

"None at the moment"

As Solidus and Snake had their conversation, Meer turned and looked towards the Weapons Lab. Her eyes went wide as she saw Noir Fox standing on a hill straight ahead aiming a Stinger Rocket Launcher at them. The missile was fired as it was heading straight for Solidus, with barely a second Meer jumped and grabbed Solidus's arm and threw him out of harms way while the missile struck where he had been standing and sent Meer flying. The codec communication ended as Solidus looked over to where the explosion had occurred to find Meer lying on the ground near by.

Solidus got to his feet and rushed over to her side, he checked her pulse and was relived to find that she was still alive, but she was in bad shape. Blood was coming from a wound on the woman's head and judging by Meer's current condition she suffered a concussion thanks to the blast dealing a major blow to the head. Without medical attention Meer may not survive beyond a few hours even if Solidus was able to patch the woman up using what medical supplies he had on him, but it would only temporally stabilize Meer's condition.

"You have made it this far…I have taught you well Andrius." Fox dropped the Stinger rocket launcher.

"FOX!" Andrius roared as his blood was boiling with rage.

"I guess death wasn't ready for you yet."

"You nearly killed Meer with that missile, damn it Fox she was your student too."

"It doesn't matter…she was hindering you. I removed her for you."

"I can't believe what I am hearing." An outraged Andrius shouted as he pulled his 45 and fired several shots at Fox. But the female soldier effortlessly deflected them with her CQC knife. "You gave Meer over to the Alliance; do you have any idea what kind of hell they put her through?"

"Yes…I know all about it." Fox replied as her face showed no signs of emotion.

"How could you?"

"Because those were my orders given to me: to hand her over to the Atlantic Federation for their project."

Andrius let out a cry of anguish as he curdled Meer's unconscious form in his arms.

"I'm not your teacher or commanding officer anymore. There's nothing for you here. Go home. Go back to Orb. There's no need to prove that you are virtuous here. This isn't Orb." Fox turned her back on Solidus and proceeded to walk away.

"Why did you betray Orb?"

"I didn't. I'm loyal...to the end, to my purpose. What about you, Andrius? What's it going to be? Loyalty to your country or loyalty to me? Your country or your old mentor? Your mission or your beliefs? Your duty to your unit or your personal feelings?" Fox paused for a moment as she gave Andrius look of pity. "You don't know the truth yet. But sooner or later, you'll have to choose. I don't expect you to forgive me. But you can't defeat me, either. You know me too well. Just look at that bandanna. If you can't put the past behind you, you won't survive long. If we meet again, I'll kill you. Now go home." Fox told Andrius before she disappeared from sight.

The anger began to swell within Solidus's heart and mind; he looked at Meer and thought about Nemo before declaring. "I am not giving up" He looked up at the sky and shouted as loud as he could "I AM NOT GIVING UP FOX!"

"That is what I want to hear." A voice behind Solidus said, the young man turned to see who it was, but all he saw was a tranquilizer drat nailing him in the neck before blacking out. A moment later after dropping his own tranquilizer gun and shutting off his camouflage: Vamp was standing over Solidus's unconscious form before he bent down to pick the boy up and reactivated his stealth camouflage and disappeared with the young man. A few moments later Raiden arrived on the scene and discovered Meer on the ground near by. He also saw the small crater left by the Stinger rocket launcher and took a guess at what happened.

Knelling down next to Meer he checked the woman's condition and discovered that she was barely alive with a major blow to the head. Placing his hand on his neck he gave Snake a call. "Snake this is Raiden…I found that perfect soldier who was traveling with Solidus, but the kid is no where in sight."

"What happened…I was talking to him and suddenly the line went dead?"

"I don't know, but I found what looks like a small crater left by Stinger rocket. The girl I found is injured pretty badly. I am going to take her some where and see if I can do something about her wounds."

Python jumped into the conversation "Head to the south end of the island…there should be a VTOL gunship it has a well stocked med-kit you can use. It might work as a good escape craft for us as well so you might as well take her there."

"Ok"

"Do you have any idea where Solidus disappeared to?" Snake asked.

"I don't know, but I hope he is alright." Raiden answered.

A short time later behind the Weapons Lab: Rau Le Creuset was sitting inside the copilot chair of the VTOL gunship with the Davy Crocket resting inside its case behind him. The blonde haired masked man waited for a few moments until he was joined by Liquid who arrived as he assumed the pilot seat.

"I see Solidus roughed you up a little." Rau commented as he eyed the burses on the young man's face.

"He got lucky."

"Really" Rau said sarcastically before he added "at least you managed to restrain yourself from killing him. We are finished here and we are free to leave. Lord Jibril has assured me that we can leave the island safety without need to worry about getting shot down. Everything will go according to plan and our Big Boss to be will carry out the part that was scripted."

"You think Solidus will survive?"

"We'll wait a little while longer before we leave. A couple of the surveillance cyphers will transmit what will happen next to us. We'll fly to a safe distance of six miles from the island before I fire the Davy Crocket and destroy this place. Before that we'll warn Solidus about the nuke so he can escape just before I fire it. If the tool he is receiving is as fast as I was told then he should make it." Rau remarked with a smile.

Back over at the Weapons Lab, or rather just outside within the cluster of trees; Snake, Python and Nemo were trying to plan their next move while at the same time trying to figure out what had happened to Solidus. "I am trying to find Solidus, but I can detect his mind anywhere. He can't be dead otherwise your friend would have found him with Meer. He must have been knocked out."

"Then he was captured?" Snake asked.

"I don't think so…the only one I have seen going into the Weapons Lab was Fox. I say it was her who fired that Stinger rocket. But I don't see Solidus with her or anyone carrying him." Python pointed out as he was watching the Lab with a pair of binoculars.

"Damn it!"

Around the same time underwater, somewhere on the ocean floor at the base of Shadow Moses northeast cliff-face shore was where a large pile of hefty-sized rocks rested. But a pair of large metal hands was moving the rocks; a ZnO was standing on the ocean floor trying to unbury something. The ZnO spent a few minutes at work moving rock after rock until an underwater tunnel was uncovered as the remaining rocks fell into the hole. The ZnO transformed and swam into the hole as it descended deep into the underwater tunnel.

After a few minutes of traversing the narrow passageway the ZnO reached the end of the tunnel, which opened into an air pocket deep below Shadow Moses Island. The cavern was massive, big enough to house six mobile suits of same size and mass as the ZnO. The cavern was obvious man-made with a dozen dim lights turning on as motion sensors detected the ZnO entering the cavern. Some of the lights exploded due to years of exposure to the moisture and moss that had covered most of the light bulbs. No more than eight remained out of the fifty that once lined the room.

Concrete walls surrounded them as the ZnO stopped a few feet away from the water's edge before shutting down. The pilot opened the cockpit of the machine revealing the pilot was Vamp with Solidus unconscious on his lap. The Romanian climbed out of the mobile suit he had commandeered after killing its pilot with Solidus on his shoulder. After taking a few steps from the machine, Vamp dropped Solidus on the ground before pulling an injection gun from his coat.

"It is time to wake up small one. The time has come to see if you are worthy to live. Our battle will be in an arena where no one can interfere with your rite of passage."

Vamp stabbed Solidus's right arm with the injection gun and fed his body a shot that was designed to neutralize the effects of the tranquilizer he was shot with and wake the boy up. The knife using had to wait a minute or two before he saw visible signs of the drug taking effect as Solidus began to stir. In a few moments, Solidus was struggling to stand up on his feet as the young man regained his strength. Once he was wide-awake his attention was immediately focused on Vamp who was standing before him.

"I remember you, what the hell are you doing at Shadow Moses? Where I am? What have you done to Meer?" Solidus demanded as he reached for his 45, but discovered that it was missing. Vamp laughed as he drew the missing weapon in question from his coat and tossed it to Vamp's right. The weapon landed on the ground and slid across the room until it stopped at the base of a second machine resting in the underwater cavern.

It was unlike anything Solidus had seen before…it wasn't any mobile suit or mobile armor he has heard of, but something different. It was sitting on the ground with its arrow shaped head looking at the ground with two large bulbous that appeared to be arm-like wings; a pair of bipedal legs and a long tail could be seen. The machine was covered in cobwebs and dust from sitting inside the underground cavern for many years, but it appeared to be undamaged.

"What is that?"

"That is Metal Gear RAY." Vamp answered.

"Another Metal Gear here?"

"Yes…tell me Solidus…while you were sneaking around this place I am sure you noticed equipment used for drilling and underground surveys. Take the stuff you found in the warehouse for example before you fought Qual."

Solidus considered it for a moment before he did recall discovering all of that drilling equipment being stored in the warehouse where he fought Qual. "Yeah I remember it."

"The Atlantic Federation was secretly searching Shadow Moses Island for Metal Gear RAY. It was hidden during the final days of the Reconstruction War in this small cavern created to store it. The Patriots killed those involved with the construction of this place and hiding RAY here right before they covered the entrance with rocks that I removed thanks to this ZnO here."

"But why hide it?"

"Because they wanted RAY to stay out of the hands of the newly formed Atlantic Federation and the newly formed Merchants of Death organization: Logos."

"Logos?"

"Solid Snake failed to kill Liquid Ocelot during the latest Outer Heaven incident, but succeeded in halting his plans to launch an armed insurrection against the United States. Afterwards, Ocelot reorganization many of the Private Military Contractors he owned with his Outer Heaven company to prepare the world for a third world war he created many years later."

"The Reconstruction War?"

"Right, but at the same time Ocelot put into play another factor that would bring the end of the Patriot's rule over the entire world. He created a man whose achievements and successes in the many fields offered by man would impress the world, but revealing the truth behind his creation was the last nail in the coffin thus breaking the hold the Patriots held on the world."

"You mean George Glenn?"

"Correct, and the chaos created following the secret of his birth being leaked to the world provided the opening Ocelot needed to seal the fate of the Patriots after he had greatly wounded them during the Reconstruction War thanks in part to Noir Fox and her Cobras. Using Blue Cosmos as his cats paw under the cover of punishing those who created coordinators, Ocelot had arranged for the murders of many of the highest members of the Patriots thus bringing about the organization's collapse. Thanks in part of the knowledge of the Patriot's inner workings and key members held within Revolver Ocelot's mind. Snake never knew that Ocelot…as well as Big Boss was among the founders of the Patriots I came to know and hate."

Vamp paused to catch his breath before he continued. "The Patriots did all they could to ensure certain technologies would be kept from the hands of Logos and so Metal Gear RAY that was recovered from Ocelot was hidden here. Although it seemed pointless since Ocelot already possessed the technology, but I find it curious why Blue Cosmos or the Alliance isn't unitizing the Metal Gear technology and biomechanical technology possessed by machines like RAY as their mobile suits. I wonder if Ocelot had lost the technology thanks to the Patriots as their last act of defiance against him."

"Is this Liquid Ocelot still alive?"

"I don't know, but Liquid has destroyed the Patriots. However…some remnants are still lingering. They say that the last surviving members of the Patriots hid their legacy in hopes that one day if their organization could be revived those who possess it could have the resources to do so."

"Is there a point to all this?"

"Not really, but you'll be glad I told you this someday if you survive my test."

"Test?"

Vamp removed his cloak and tossed it aside before drawing his new weapon, a machete from its sheath hanging on the center of his belt. "If you prove yourself worthy of the title of Snake in this battle against me then you'll be ready to face Fox, and you can even have Metal Gear RAY to use against the remaining soldiers and NEO itself. It may not have the weapons required to punch through its Phase Shift Armor, but it has unparalleled speed and agility compared to NEO and the ZAFT mobile suits. Show me what you've got!" Vamp declared as he readied himself to face Solidus in battle to determine the young man's worth.


	17. Chapter 17 Rite of Passage

Chapter 17

Rite of Passage

Vamp started the battle as he used his free hand to throw three throwing knives at Solidus who dropped to his knees to avoid them as the blades flew over his head. The knife wizard rushed at the young man and delivered a blow to the young man's face with his knee. Vamp tired to take Solidus's head off with a swipe of his machete, but the young agent blocked it with his knife. He struggled against the Romanian for a moment before Vamp struck Solidus in the side of his head with a roundhouse kick.

The teen soldier fell to the ground landing on his left shoulder, stunned for a moment Solidus rolled to his right to avoid loosing his life to Vamp when he took a swing at him with his blade. The machete slashed the ground where Solidus one laid leaving a shower of sparks as the blade's intended victim pulled his body forward and hit Vamp in the knee to stun him long enough for the FOXHOUND agent to get back to his feet. Even as Solidus was back up on his feet he didn't have much of a chance to catch his breath.

Vamp was already attacking him again, but this time he tried to strike him in the side of the head with his arm, but Solidus blocked it with his own arm before taking Vamp's hand and bending it back to force the Romanian knife wizard to drop his weapon. The former member of Dead Cell attempted an attack with his free arm, but Solidus stopped it by stabbing Vamp in the hand with his knife.

Vamp finally dropped his weapon, but he began head butting Solidus in the face until the Orb Agent released him. Vamp took a moment as he pulled the knife that had been embedded into his hand before tossing the blade back to Solidus. "It's been awhile since I have seen my own blood. You're doing well so far."

Vamp used his tongue to begin licking on the wound to taste the blood as it dripped from the hole in his hand. Solidus recovered his knife before leaping back up to his feet to fight Vamp once more, but the Romanian began spinning around as he threw several throwing knives at the agent from Orb who broke into a fury of jumps and rolls to evade the knives.

Vamp stopped spinning as he intercepted Solidus with dealing him clothesline to the neck with his right arm. Solidus landed on his back as Vamp tried to stomp on him with his foot, but the young soldier rolled to the side to avoid it. Andrius made a move to get back to his feet again by bringing his legs up and spinning them around to ward Vamp off allowing him to jump back up to his feet.

Andrius pushed his assault forward with his knife in hand as he watched Vamp draw a second weapon from a sheath on his back: it was his real signature weapon, a large knife called a Ka-bar. The bloodsucker began using his signature weapon against the Orb Agent as he tried to deliver some deadly slashes to kill the young soldier. Andrius kept his distance as he was having a hard time keeping track of Vamp's movements.

The Romanian was moving faster than Solidus's own eyes could track making him a difficult opponent to predict. One of Vamp's attacks with his Ka-bar drew blood from Solidus's face as the blade narrowly came close to delivering a fatal slash, but instead only left a small cut. Solidus kept his distance as he turned and made a run for his gun, which was lying in front of Metal Gear RAY.

The minute he put his hand on his gun, a throwing knife embedded itself into Solidus's extended arm just a little above his wrist. The young coordinator let out a grunting sound of pain as he still held to his gun while he used his free hand to pull the small blade from his arm.

"You're not what I was hoping for."

"I am not giving up you bloodsucking bastard! You hear me I am not giving up, you can stab, beat and break me as much you punks want but I'll finish my mission. I'll destroy Metal Gear NEO and I'll kill Noir Fox, but after I take you down!" Andrius declared that he charged at Vamp determined to kill the former member of Dead Cell while ignoring his injuries he has endured up to now. His sprit and determination is what was keeping him going and he was going to win no matter what it takes.

Vamp unleashed another barrage of throwing knives as Solidus used his knife and the side of his gun to deflect any of the knives that had come close to striking him. The Orb agent fired four shots at the knife wizard, but Vamp effortlessly evaded them all with fast and graceful-dance like movements, but when Solidus got close enough to Vamp he tried to slash the Romanian's face with his knife, but it missed his opponent's face by an inch. Then he attempted to strike Vamp in the face with his fist while using the handgun as a type-make shift brass knuckle, but Solidus never saw Vamp's counter coming as the Romanian stopped Solidus's fist by biting his hand after Vamp pulled his head back to avoid getting hit.

Andrius let out a cry as the pain of Vamp sinking his fangs into the Orb agent's hand was obvious agonizing. Andrius pulled his hand away after he kicked Vamp in the stomach to free his hand. Trying to ignore the pain he was freeing from his hand as a few drops of blood was dripping from the teeth marks Vamp left.

"Your blood doesn't taste bad though." Vamp commented with a smirk as he licked his lips in satisfaction of the blood he has tasted right before countering attacking with kicks and punches to Solidus's that sent the boy to the ground a few feet away from Vamp. "Is this all a child of the legendary soldier has to offer?" Vamp mocked. "I guess you're a failure!"

"No! I am not!" Andrius replied boldly as he got back up to his feet. "I will not" He focused his attention on Vamp as he recalled Noir Fox's actions against him, FOXHOUND and Meer as well as the thoughts of those depending on him to make it through. At first his anger caused his blood to boil, but his unbreakable determination and desire to triumph and complete the mission became meshed together. Suddenly Andrius saw what appeared to be transparent-blue colored jewel-like seed fall in front of his eyes before exploding in a shower of light. "Fail!" Solidus roared as eyes suddenly changed in appearance as his pupils shrunk and the irises grew larger.

Solidus's unbreakable will and determination mixed with his resolve awakened his SEED within him as he rushed at Vamp once again, but this time his reflexes and movements were faster than ever. The Romanian knife wizard decided to end the battle and thus drew ten throwing knives and threw them all at Solidus as the young man was running straight at him.

But the former member of Dead Cell was in for a surprise, thanks to the SEED: Solidus was now in a state of enhanced awareness and peak physical ability, which now provided him with heightened reflexes and extremely quick information processing. Solidus threw his knife and gun into the air and, much to Vamp's surprise, seized six of the ten throwing knives while the others missed him and threw them back at Vamp who was struck in the chest and arms.

"Impossible!" Vamp shouted in astonishment. But as he drew his Ka-Bar to fight off the incoming young man, Solidus was already on him faster than Vamp could have even believed possible as Solidus caught his knife and stabbed Vamp in the throat while his other hand retrieved his 45 allowing the coordinator to unload six shots into Vamp's chest. The Romanian fell back while his eyes remained open in pure disbelief while Solidus pulled his knife out of his neck.

Vamp's body landed on the ground with a thud while Solidus for a moment couldn't believe what had just happened. His feeling of anger he had disappearance and his mind had cleared up. He was unable to understand what had just happened, but something in his body or something made him stronger somehow.

Before Solidus could walk away he heard the sound of someone laughing. He looked down at the ground and saw the wound on Vamp's healing right before his eyes while his chest was seemingly spitting the bullets out. A surprised Solidus jumped back as Vamp returned to his feet with a smile on his face.

"No one has ever done that to me." Vamp replied as he pulled the knives Solidus struck him with out of his body. "Raiden and Snake managed to inflict wounds that stopped me for a time, but the way you almost did me in was very impressive. I guess you pass my test, Metal Gear RAY is yours."

"What is this about?" Solidus demanded.

"You'll find out soon, but your birth wasn't the end of the project. My employer has something special planned for you. This is but the beginning. We'll meet again." Vamp said with a smile as he ran to pick up his coat right before he leapt back into the cockpit of his ZnO. Before Solidus could stop him, Vamp reactivated the machine and turned it around. ZnO dived into the water and swam away through the underwater tunnel. In moments Vamp was nearing the exit, but as he was exiting he spotted two of the GOOhNs just outside the tunnel.

He grinned as he extended the claws of his mobile suit and blasted the two GOOhNs with a surprise barrage of the ZnO's phonon maser dispatching the machines. With the enemy mobile suits gone, Vamp disappeared with his machine into the ocean depths as his task on Shadow Moses Island was finished. Back inside the cave Solidus was trying to make sense of everything going on, but he couldn't think of any reasonable conclusions at the moment. Instead after mending his wound above his wrist where Vamp stabbed him. Solidus walked over to Metal Gear RAY, but as he did the cockpit opened.

It took a minute or two, but Andrius climbed into the Metal Gear's cockpit and began working the controls trying to activate it. Seconds later after fiddling with the controls the cockpit closed as the pilot harness came down over Solidus's body before the HUD came online, as did the rest of the Metal Gear's systems. RAY performed a quick diagnostic upon itself as the Metal Gear's eyes lit up. The screen in front of him displayed that all systems were green and RAY was functioning at one hundred percent.

Solidus smiled as he decided to give Pliskin a call by Codec. Although there was some interference, but he finally got an answer as Pliskin answered. "Solidus is that you? Are you alright?"

"I am fine…that bloodsucker knocked me out after we were ambushed by Noir Fox."

"Bloodsucker?"

"That guy seemed to like the taste of blood; he used throwing knives and a Ka-Bar against me after he brought me to some underwater hanger where a second Metal Gear was stored."

"A second Metal Gear?"

"Yeah…called RAY. The bloodsucker gave to me after I gave him a good butt whooping."

"Metal Gear RAY? What the hell was RAY doing on Shadow Moses?"

"I'll tell you the rest later, but right now I think I got something to take those mobile suits on with. According to the list of armaments this thing has 70mm Vulcan cannons, Anti-personnel cluster missiles, Surface to air missiles and a hydro cutter. I can defiantly take those sentries guarding the weapons lab out, but I'll need help with the mobile suits. You still got those railgun rifles?"

"You bet, and I already know what you are thinking. Just get your ass over here and let's destroy NEO before it goes activate."

"I am on my way!" Solidus replied as he ended the codec transmission before taking the controls of RAY. Its operation seemed similar to the mobile suit simulators back in Orb, not identical, but he was able to figure the basics of operating it. Taking the controls the Metal Gear for the first time in years ever since it was deposited inside the storage warehouse began to move while it was starting to stand up.

Meanwhile at the same time on the surface at the south end of the island, Raiden was with Meer as he had finished patching her up with what medical supplies he had found aboard the VTOL gunship. The young woman would fine for now, but she may not survive beyond a day without proper medical treatment.

Raiden heard a noise and looked outside to see a second VTOL gunship hovering right above him and Meer. "Are you Raiden?" A voice called out.

"Who are you?"

"I am Noir Fox and I have a message I want you to deliver to Solidus for me if you want your friend to here to live."

"Raiden!" A second voice called out.

"Otacon!" The cyborg shouted as he recognized the voice.

"Listen up…if you want your friend to live then give Solidus this for me." Fox said as she dropped a rolled up piece of paper. "It's a map of the location where Solidus and I will face one another once he is done here. He must come to the island alone; if Snake or anyone else sets foot upon the island I'll kill your friend." Fox declared before pulling away and flying off into the sky with her hostage.

"Damn it." Raiden said as he unrolled the paper to examine it. The paper Fox had left was indeed a map showing the layout of what looked like a small tropical island in the South Pacific Ocean and there were coordinators to where the island was. Judging by the coordinators alone the island was part of a group of small islands called the Marshall Islands. Immediately, Raiden decided to give Snake a call. "Snake this is Raiden come in."

"I read you Raiden what's up?"

"Noir Fox just left the island on a VTOL gunship with Otacon as a hostage."

"What?"

"She just left me a map to an island near Orb. She says Solidus must come to that island alone to face her otherwise she'll kill Otacon. If any of us come to the island she'll kill him."

"Damn it…I guess she wants a final battle with Solidus then."

"Can we do anything to help Otacon? What if it's a trap?"

I doubt it, but" Snake allowed the sentence to trail off for a moment. "Right now we need to take out NEO before they launch a nuclear attack. Looks like Solidus will have to fight Noir Fox."

At that moment Metal Gear RAY emerged from the waters just east of the Weapons Lab as the Metal Gear shot up from the ocean depths and landed on the top of the cliff overlooking the sea. A swim through the sea cleaned the machine of the cobwebs and dust that had covered the machine. It almost appeared brand new.

The Metal Gear moved its head as it began looking at the direction of the Weapons Lab. The machine eyed a VTOL gunship leaving the island as it took off from behind the Weapons Lab and flew southwest away from the island. Solidus looked down at the entrance to the Weapons Lab and began preparing RAY's Anti-personnel cluster missiles and Surface to air missiles for use as he was targeting the sentries with the cluster missiles and the mobile suits as well as the Weapons Lab itself with its Surface to Air HEAT missiles.

Andrius smiled as he began his bombardment as the cluster missiles were fired first followed by HEAT missiles being launched. The mobile suits around the Weapons Lab took notice of RAY after firing its missiles, but it was too late as the first wave of Cluster missiles struck the Weapons Lab and the surrounding area as cyphers units, sentries and the mines set around the base were being blasted by the brutal bombardment of Anti-personnel cluster missiles which also began inflicting damage upon the Lab itself.

As the GINN Insurgent Types turned and began shooting their bazookas at the enemy Metal Gear, Solidus while he was still in SEED mode turn RAY and quickly evaded the bazooka rounds as it began running towards lab just as the HEAT missiles. One GINN was about to start shooting at RAY with its heavy assault rifle, but a barrage of railgun fire from the ground tore into its cockpit and killed the pilot inside.

Python was kneeling down as he was taking aim with his railgun rifle while Snake was doing the same providing Solidus with back up to even the odds. Despite the ZAFT mobile suits having firepower on their side, RAY had maneuverability and speed when compared to the clumsy and slow GINN mobile suits. The Metal Gear charged at the enemy machines as the HEAT missile hit their mark destroying parts of the Weapons Lab and setting the rest ablaze while other missiles hit one of the GINNs in the head and chest while it a missile made a direct hit on the right arm of the CGUE.

The remaining missiles missed and struck the ground around the base finishing off any sentries who weren't already dead after the cluster missiles hit them or didn't accidentally run into the claymore/minefield they had set-up around the Lab where they were killed by their own traps.

RAY leapt into the air to avoid heavy assault rifle fire from the GINNs and the CGUE as he landed on top of the nearest GINN while the Metal Gear began opening its mouth revealing its hydro cutter. The GINN fell onto its back as RAY fired a burst of its high-pressure water jet cannon penetrated the cockpit killing the pilot in an instant. With a quick turn of its head, RAY brought the cannon around and jerked its head upwards allowing the high pressure water jet cannon to cut the last GINN in half from the waist up thought its head and cockpit.

Snake and Python began targeting the GINN Insurgent Types, and as soon as they had a good line of fire between them and the machine's cockpit they opened fire quickly reducing the enemy machine's cockpit to Swiss cheese along with the pilot. Two GINN Insurgent Types were left along with the damaged CGUE as the commander machine drew its heavy sword before charging after Solidus when it came to the realization that the RAY was too fast for them to hit with their rifles.

One GINN Insurgent Type fired its bazooka along with a volley of missiles at RAY, but when they seemed posed to hit no matter how quickly the Metal Gear was moving to evade them the missiles and bazooka were redirected. The three ZAFT pilots were left confounded at what they just saw, but while some of the missiles were directed and sent flying off in the sky away from RAY one pair of missiles were redirected into hitting the CGUE while it was rushing at the Metal Gear to attack it effectively taking it out.

Snake looked behind himself and saw Nemo sitting by a tree with her hands on her head lending Solidus a hand though use of her mental powers to help shield him from harm. The last two GINNs decided to ditch their bazookas and just take RAY on with their mobile suit's bare hands.

RAY charged and leapt up into the air as it kicked the first GINN in the chest and turning around in mid air to kick the second GINN in the head, but as the first GINN Insurgent Type tried to get back to its feet. RAY swept the ground where the GINN was with its leg knocking it off its feet with a well executed sweeping kick. The Metal Gear's mouth opened again as Solidus swept the ground where the enemy machines laid cutting them in half using RAY's hydro cutter.

Metal Gear RAY jumped away from the exploding mobile suits and stood looking at the burning weapons lab as the machine began letting out a mechanical howl followed by a few growling sounds similar to those of a sea monster. Snake and Python holstered their weapons as the mobile suits had been destroyed and all of the sentries as far as they were all dead.

Snake smiled and didn't think he would be glad that a Metal Gear, RAY of all machine would be an effective tool in bailing them out of trouble. Kneeling down the aged soldier decided to give Solidus a call. "Solidus do you read me?"

"I am here."

"Nice job…you handled RAY like a pro."

"Thanks…its controls were in one way similar to those used in most mobile suits and mobile armors so I was able to figure them out thankfully."

"Well I guess all that is left is to make sure that Metal Gear NEO has been destroyed."

"That and I got one more job to do."

Snake was silent for a moment before he said, "Noir Fox has left the island."

"What?"

"She took a VTOL gunship along with a hostage and took off for an island near orb. She is waiting for you there."

"I see…well RAY is amphibious so I'll go and finish this. Do you know exactly where she is?"

"She left a map that will lead you to the island."

"Ok" Suddenly someone else was trying to call him. "Hold on I got another call." Solidus ended communications with Snake to answer a call from Representative Char and General Sutherland. "General Roosevelt and Major Tom?"

"Solidus what happened we saw a number of explosions from Shadow Moses." Char asked.

"Well those are signs that the terrorist threat has been neutralized. I am going to ensure that Metal Gear NEO is out of commission before I go after Noir Fox. I just learned she fled the island amidst the fighting with a hostage in tow. She wants me to meet her on an island near Orb for a battle."

"Well excellent work Solidus…in that case make sure NEO will stay out of commission until I can dispatch some men from JOSH-A for mop up." Sutherland added while Char had something else to say.

"After that head to the island and challenge Fox; if she wants a battle with you…best not to keep her waiting." But before the two could continue their conversation a banging sound was heard from inside the Weapons Lab. Parts of the roof and hanger doors began to develop large dents as if something was trying to break out. Seconds later a giant machine emerged from inside the WEAPONS Lab with a black and red coloring. Much to the surprise and horror of Snake, Python, Nemo and Solidus…the machine was none other than Metal Gear NEO. It has gone active and its Phase Shift Armor was also activated as well.

"Damn it…Metal Gear NEO has emerged from the Weapons Lab…it's been activated."

"What?" Sutherland exclaimed.

"Someone must have made his way into the cockpit before I bombed the Lab with those Heat and Cluster missiles and activated its Phase Shift Armor." Solidus pointed out.

"But who?" Char asked.

"Solidus!" A voice on the codec line shouted. "You have caused far too much trouble, and since the Cobras and Fox have failed to kill you I'll deal with you myself. Then I'll destroy Washington and the Orb Union with NEO."

"Shit…its General Sadique!" Sutherland replied as he recognized the voice.

"Damn it...that madman is intending to hit Orb instead of Panama. Solidus take NEO down…I don't care how, but destroy that monster. This is a direct order from a member of the Orb Parliament."

"Yes sir." Solidus said as he ended communication and turned RAY to face Metal Gear NEO as it wheeled itself out of the burning Lab on its screw-like treads roaring like a vicious ancient dinosaur. Metal Gear RAY opened its mouth and let out an intimidating sea monster-like screech as if the machine was issuing an animalistic challenge to the enemy Metal Gear.

From the ground below, Python picked up Nemo as they along with Snake decided to book it since they knew that a battle between two Metal Gears was about to start and it was probably a good idea not to be in close proximity when those machines start going at it. The two men and woman started running for the South side of the island where Raiden was waiting for them.

"I'll crush you…apprentice of Noir Fox!" Sadique shouted as he began moving towards RAY while the amphibious Metal Gear stood its ground waiting for the enemy machine to make its move while Solidus still under the effects of the SEED was ready for anything Sadique could dish out.

A/N: Hey this wouldn't be a Gundam crossover without a good mecha fight. Although doing the fight between the remaining ZAFT mobile suits and RAY was tricky considering that its weapons were in most cases outdated compared to the mobile suits used by ZAFT, but RAY's organic nature gave it the ability to outperform the GINNs in terms of speed and maneuverability. I had tried to make the battle between Vamp and Solidus something and I thought it would be a good opportunity for the young man to go into SEED mode for the first time. But now the trickiest and toughest battle of all will happen…two Metal Gears going toe to toe. The newest Metal Gear of the cosmic era against RAY, which was designed as an anti-metal gear vehicle with a pilot in SEED mode. Then afterwards we can look forward to the final battle between Noir Fox and Andrius. One thing I regretted not being able to, but rather I kept forgetting to put it in was the cardboard box trick. I mean the box is virtually a trademark in Metal Gear Solid. But I will remember to include it in the upcoming sequel. I am in debate right now trying to decide if I should have it take place after the Second Battle at Jachin Due, the two month period between events of Mendel and Jachin Due or separate the sequels into two separate stories or sequels. Anyway thanks to all those who have been reading and keeping up with the story so far, although I had planned originally to make this a thirty chapter story, but short is just fine I suppose since its better I get it done soon before I loss inspiration and move onto other projects.


	18. Chapter 18 Destruction

Chapter 18

Destruction

Hurrying through the base: Snake, Python and Nemo used what remaining weapons they had left aside from the railgun rifles to defeat any surviving enemy soldiers encountered as they were making their way to the south end of the island to rendezvous with Raiden. So far the group had encountered only three enemy sentries, mostly like part of the squad sent to search the island for them. At the moment however, they didn't encounter anyone else.

"You think Solidus will be alright?" Nemo asked.

"Don't worry he can handle himself…he's tougher than he looks." Python replied.

"I hope you are right, but" Nemo said as she was still fearful for the young soldier.

"I understand how you feel. Once we meet back up with Raiden we'll see if we can give him some air support. If we had stayed near the Weapons Lab the chances were high that we may have gotten killed in the cross fire between NEO and RAY." Snake said to assure the young woman, but as the group came within sight of the South end of the island. They ran into Furia who emerged from the trees ahead of them, the Cobra had been waiting to ambush them.

"You two are the other intruders Fox mentioned, and to think the traitor would be with them as well. I had hoped to face that cybernetic punk with the sword, but you three will do fine to work off some aggression."

"We'll see about that." Nemo said as she used her mental powers to send various objects flying at the oversized man while Snake brought out his railgun rifle and started firing a couple rounds off while Python put down any weapons he held in his hands and charged at Furia.

The small rocks and tree branches Nemo was able to gather up and use as weapons against didn't do much to stop the rampaging Cobra while he managed to evade each of the railgun shots Snake fired, but Python got close enough to Furia to place both hands on the man's chest and began spraying him with liquid-nitrogen. Furia's body started to freeze as his upper body was becoming quickly frozen solid, but when the large fighter tried to punch Python. Snake shot the man's arms off with the railgun, as the rest of the Cobra's body was becoming a block of ice.

"This can't be I am immortal. I" Furia stopped short, as his head was frozen solid in an instant while the rest of his body was now an immobilized ice statue.

"Try coming back from that." Python remarked as his expression showed that he took no joy in killing a fellow comrade, but he had merely done his job as a soldier and defeated an enemy. "You never were a bright one Furia despite your regenerative and fighting abilities." Python said before he walked pass the frozen statue and continued towards the small harbor ahead of them.

Snake and Nemo didn't bother to say a word and decided to move on. Meanwhile NEO began its attack against RAY by firing its dual Scylla cannons on its shoulders. The swift Metal Gear leapt into the air performed a leapfrog over the enemy machine, but while in flight Solidus fired RAY's hydro cutter using up the last amounts of water held within the machine. But despite landing a direct hit on the back, but its Phase Shift Armor held against the attack leaving not even a scratch. Sadique was laughing hysterically at the failed attempt.

"Damn it!" Solidus cursed as he landed right behind NEO as the machine was in the process of turning around. Solidus decided to give Dr. Emmerich a call to see if NEO had any weakness while RAY was moving back towards the ocean to refill its water reserve for its cannon. "Dr. Emmerich, this is Solidus Snake remember me?"

"I hear you loud and clear Solidus. What is going on?"

"They activated Metal Gear NEO and have armed it with nuclear missiles equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers from ZAFT. I got a machine of my own that has been able to out perform it in terms of speed and mobility, but I don't have any weapons to punch through its Phase Shift Armor."

"I see…well good news is that NEO wasn't designed to be deployed in battle. It was in reality being built as a test model to test out new technologies being developed by the Alliance at the time for performance evaluation. Its purpose aside from testing these new technologies was to launch nuclear weapons against any location on earth, but it would be done from the safety of an Alliance base or under the protect of a military platoon to defend it."

"So it wasn't intended to fight mobile suits then?"

"Right…it's merely a test model. Although it was being designed to carry a nuclear reactor for power, but due to the Neutron Jammers that cover the Earth it's impossible for NEO to use nuclear energy, so instead it was given a battery. The same kind used by the Alliance's mobile armors. That is your key to defeating NEO."

"What?"

"It uses only a battery for a source of power, and the Phase Shift Armor consumes a large amount of energy. Especially its beam weapons eat up energy as well. If you can pound on the NEO with whatever weapons your machine has it will put the Phase Shift Armor under strain and consume more and more energy in order to stay in effect."

"I get it…just pound on it with whatever I got and force it to fire its beam weapons as many times as possible to drain its battery."

"Right…all you got to do is hold out against it."

"Roger that."

"However you just need to hope they didn't manage to equip a nuclear engine on it." Emmerich pointed out.

"Somehow I doubt it, but I think I know someone who might be able to answer that. Thanks for your help doctor."

"It's the least I can do after you got me out of South America and reunited me with my family." Solidus smiled as he ended codec communications with Emmerich and gave Pliskin a call. It took a few moments, but Pliskin answered his codec.

"Pliskin is Python with you?" Solidus asked.

"Yeah he is right here."

"Could ask him if he knows did anyone install a nuclear engine on the NEO?"

"Sure thing." There was a pause that lasted less than a minute before Snake came back on the line. "According to him they lacked the time and the parts to remove NEO's battery and replace it with a nuclear engine."

"Great…it means I can take it out. I just need to pound on its Phase Shift Armor until its battery drains itself."

"So basically you just need to hold out against it."

"Right."

"I think we can help with that. Just hang in there."

"I will." Solidus replied as he ended the codec communication while RAY standing in front of the open sea at the edge of the island's north shoreline with its head in the ocean pumping in seawater to refill its reserves. Just when he finished the NEO emerged over the head and was heading towards the beach to attack RAY.

"You can't run boy!" Sadique shouted as he opened fire with the NEO's Scylla cannons again paired with fire from the Metal Gear's CWIS Igelstellung guns. RAY dived into the ocean and swam forward towards the open sea before turning around and coming back towards NEO.

"Why run when you can't hit worth beans Sadique!" Solidus shouted as RAY emerged from the ocean running at the enemy Metal Gear while Sadique deployed NEO's claws as the machine itself was attempting to stand up on its rear legs while ready to use its claws against RAY as the old Metal Gear approached intending to grab and crush the enemy machine.

Instead of attempting another leapfrog, RAY knelt down on its legs pointing its back towards the exposed belly of NEO and fired a volley of HEAT missiles. The missiles hit their target, but due to the Phase Shift Armor the Metal Gear was undamaged. But the blast left the machine with the problem of trying to stay balanced on its legs without falling onto its back.

RAY on the other hand provided a slap of its tail against NEO's under belly sending the giant Metal Gear falling onto its back. Although NEO didn't exactly fall flat on its back due to the two-railgun cannons on its back, however the machine was momentary immobilized. Seizing the opportunity, Solidus fired another volley of cluster missiles followed up by more HEAT missiles to pound the underbelly of the Metal Gear.

It seemed like victory was certain with NEO immobile, but suddenly the thrusters outlining the Metal Gear's body came on line and the machine began turning itself over as it began to float up into the air. Deciding to put some distance between him and Sadique, Solidus took RAY and hurried back towards the Weapons Lab while NEO finished flipping itself over after the last of the missiles hit their mark.

"FOOL nothing can damage NEO as long as the Phase Shift Armor is activated. So hit me with all the missiles you want!"

Just as Solidus reached the burning ruins of the Weapons Lab, NEO was approaching fast as it was flying overhead hovering on the network of boosters outlining its body. Once the large turtle-like Metal Gear had its target in sight; NEO unleashed a barrage of beam fire consisting of both its 90mm beam cannons and its dual Scylla cannons. RAY began running towards the administration build while trying to stay ahead of the beams being fired at it.

RAY took cover behind the administration building, but it leapt onto the top of the warehouse next to it before jumping onto the roof itself just as the beams struck the base of the building causing it to shake and begin tilting to one side. RAY shifted its weight and tried to redirect the collapsing building to fall towards NEO as it was charging forward. The building fell forward as RAY leapt off and landed on top of NEO's back as the nibble Metal Gear turned both arms and aimed them at NEO's back as Solidus began blasting away with RAY's vulcan cannons.

Due to the sudden shock of RAY jumping onto its back, NEO rushed forward and slammed into the building, RAY jumped off using the force behind his jump to send NEO crashing to the ground after going through the falling administration building and crashing into the last remaining warehouse. Not to mention it suffered some additional blows from the detonation of a small amount of C4 explosives thanks to the claymore trap Snake had rigged on the second floor earlier. RAY landed back on the ground behind NEO while it prepared to use the last of its cluster missiles to bombard the Metal Gear again.

The missiles were fired into the air just as NEO was unburying itself from the ruins of the administration building and the warehouse. NEO turned around just in time to get hit by a barrage of anti-personnel missiles. Sadique growled in anger as he charged up the shoulder mounted Scylla cannons for another shot. Suddenly, a handful of grenades and a variety of explosives was dropped from above as they all landed on NEO's back right before the grenades exploded, which in turn caused the claymores and plastic explosives dropped on the Metal Gear's back to explode.

RAY looked up and saw the VTOL gunship flying over head as Python and Snake could be seen aiming their railguns at the Metal Gear's back right before they began opening fire on it. Meanwhile as an angry Sadique was moving Metal Gear, he failed to notice that the energy indicator for NEO was dropping into the yellow. The energy consummation was steady and it continued to drop with each time Sadique fired an energy weapon consecutively and whenever RAY scored direct hits on it.

Taking the opportunity, RAY fired off a short burst of its high-pressurized water cannon at NEO's face followed by more shots from its wing-contained vulcan cannons. "Useless, useless!" Sadique shouted madly as he fired beam after beam at Metal Gear RAY while Snake and Python continued firing off round after round of railgun rounds at the Metal Gear from above.

RAY managed to evade each of the beams, but a shot from the Scylla cannons fired against as the beams came dangerously close. Suddenly NEO launched off from the ground and slammed itself into RAY knocking the machine onto the ground. Although RAY suffered no damage, but a claw grabbed the machine by the neck holding it down.

"I got you now!" Sadique remarked with a smile as he aimed NEO's other arm at RAY's head ready to blast it with its beam cannon. As the beam powered up, Solidus seemed like a dead man. But the beam suddenly died down before it could finish charging. Both Solidus and Sadique were surprised, but suddenly the NEO's Phase Shift Armor shut down. Inside the cockpit, the power indicator showed that the battery had run out of power. Metal Gear NEO itself was completely powered down due to Sadique using up the machine's battery in his attempts to kill Andrius and the attacks its Phase Shift Armor had endured.

"I think not." Solidus replied coldly as Python and Snake gave Solidus a hand by concentrating their fight on the claw hand of the NEO allowing RAY to free itself from the machine's grip. RAY turned its head at the motionless Metal Gear before moving away from it.

Checking his armaments Solidus took into account that RAY carried four HEAT missiles and still had enough water in reserves to use the hydro cutter again. Before attacking he jump up onto the back of NEO and kicked the railgun cannons containing the nuclear missiles off the immobile Metal Gear. Without the Phase Shift Armor, RAY had very little difficultly, and if a cannon didn't come off…RAY simply opened its mouth and pulled on it until it he could be kicked off the machine. Now Solidus could destroy the machine without having to worry about setting the nukes off.

Once he was finished, Andrius moved away and started aiming RAY's last remaining HEAT missiles and preparing the hydro cutter to finish it off. Meanwhile inside the cockpit of the NEO: Sadique was desperately trying to open the hatch to escape, but the cockpit wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried. The emergency override didn't work because it appears that someone had removed it and the hatch itself could only be opened electronically and since there was no power the hatch was sealed airtight. It appears that someone had gone to long lengths to ensure that whoever took NEO into battle against RAY and drained the machine of its power during the battle would be trapped inside what has now become Sadique's coffin.

As he heard the sound of missiles being fired outside, Sadique realized that his end was upon him. With nothing he could do to prevent he, the General spent his last moments screaming and howling in rage while he cursed the apprentice of Noir Fox: Solidus Snake. He continued to scream and shout inside the cockpit until the HEAT missiles combined with an attack from the hydro cutter killed Sadique as the NEO exploded after RAY's final attacks destroyed the prototype. All that remained was a pile of metal and machine parts engulfed in flames by the time Solidus was through with it.

Once the deed was done, Metal Gear RAY let out a mechanical screech-like moan/howl sound of triumph as it carried out its purpose as an Anti-Metal Gear. Snake and Python watched from the above as the smoke from the flames marking where NEO had once stood rose higher into the sky. Orb and Washington D.C. had been saved from a nuclear attack.

But Solidus wouldn't have long to enjoy his victory as his codec began ringing. He answered it expecting it to be Snake or Representative Char, but it was the voice of someone he didn't recognize, and the voice itself was electronically altered and slightly disembodied. "Congratulations on your victory Solidus Snake or should I call you Andrius?"

"Who is this?"

"Call me…Mr. X."

"Mr. X. Kinda cheesy." Solidus commented.

The voice on the other end laughed. "True, but its al I could come up with on short notice. But moving on…you have precisely a minute and a half to escape Shadow Moses before the island is destroyed in a nuclear blast."

"What?"

"As I speak I am arming a Davy Crocket."

"A Davy Crocket?"

"It's also known as a Atomic Battle Group Delivery System: first created in the 1950s by the United States Military to fire small miniaturized nuclear missiles. Although at the time it was first developed and mass-produced there were serious problems with the weapon's range and precision. However launcher I possess is a new and improved model designed to overcome the shortcomings the original model had. Even the nuclear shell itself is equipped with a special miniaturized N-Jammer Canceller, but most importantly the shell itself is no ordinary miniaturized nuclear warhead. Rather it's a new experimental miniature nuclear super bomb using the latest in lasers and magnetics specially designed for this mini bomb to generate heat-insulated compression. It's a type clean thermonuclear bomb in short that can destroy a wider range than the previous nuclear warheads used by the first Davy Crocket launchers."

"You're bluffing!"

"I am…I have no intention of allowing the Alliance to have the N-Jammer Canceller…at least not yet. The Davy Crocket will ensure all evidence and traces of the devices are destroyed. Better get moving…I am firing in twenty seconds." Mr. X ended the conversation as Solidus called up Pliskin to fill him in.

"Pliskin I just got a call from someone calling himself Mr. X. He says he is going to fire a miniaturized nuclear missile at Shadow Moses using a Davy Crocket."

"You're kidding me?"

"We got less than a minute and thirty seconds to get as far away from the island as possible." Andrius added.

"Looks like someone was planning to destroy this place to keep the N-Jammer Canceller data from falling into the Alliance's hands. Solidus get the hell out of there. Head to the Marshall Islands. Put these coordinates into RAY's navigation computer." Snake said as he read the coordinates to Noir Fox's location to Solidus as he entered the coordinates into RAY's navigation computer. Solidus recognized the location and he realized in that instant where Fox wanted to fight him.

"I'll see you in Orb." Solidus said as he took Metal Gear RAY and started hightailing it towards the island's edge. Meanwhile at the same time five miles away: Rau Le Creuset was standing in front of the open side hatch of the VTOL gunship he and Liquid were on as he was aiming the Davy Crocket at Shadow Moses. The missile would be guided to the base by means of a special beacon Rau had left behind that would lead the missile straight to the base.

"I thought I was going to fire that weapon?" Liquid asked.

"You have done enough Liquid…I want to have a little fun with my new toy." Rau answered as he started laughing. Suddenly a red light lit up on the weapon alerting him that the missile had locked onto the beacon. It was armed and ready to go. "Remember the Alamo!" Rau declared with a smile filled with homicidal glee as he pulled the trigger and fired the nuke sending it towards its target.

A half a minute later Solidus leapt into the ocean as RAY began swimming towards the open sea as the gunship carrying Python, Nemo, Raiden, Snake and a comatose Meer were already close to a mile away from the base and heading further south as fast as the aircraft could carry them. As RAY sped away from the island the Orb agent called up General Sutherland and Representative Char. "General Roosevelt and Major Tom. This is Solidus…I have destroyed Metal Gear NEO, but I received a communication from someone calling himself Mr. X declaring he is going to destroy Shadow Moses with a miniature nuclear warhead."

"What?" Sutherland declared.

"Are you sure?" Char asked.

"Well" Suddenly the two were interrupted by a voice in the background shouting.

"General we have detected a small missile heading straight for Shadow Moses. Impact in less than a minute."

"Then shoot it down!"

"We can't by the time we lock on to it; the missile will hit the island."

"Guess that confirms it." Solidus commented as RAY dived towards the ocean floor trying to escape the blast. "General I advise you pull anyone who is in proximity of Shadow Moses away from there right now!"

Sutherland didn't like taking suggestions from a coordinator, but what other orders could he issue. "Send word to the clean up crew to divert from course towards Shadow Moses immediately. All ships move away from the island."

"Solidus head for Orb and finish it." Char ordered calmly as the young man nodded his head while he answered with one word.

"Understood sir."

Seconds before the nuclear missile would hit, Furia was trying to move as was attempting to free himself. Although he was having no success, but in the sky above the missile was fast approaching as it was flying straight for the beacon Rau had left behind. More specifically it was heading for the Administration Building where in the lower levels was where Rau left the beacon.

The last thing Furia saw through the ice that covered his body was a small missile striking the ruins of the administration building before a powerful nuclear explosion engulfed Shadow Moses vaporizing the entire facility and everything on and in close proximity of the island itself. A short range around the island was caught in the blast and a little beyond that was polluted by the sudden irradiate of the entire area with lethal levels of radiation that had covered the island and the waters around it.

Watching the blast on a wall monitor, Azrael was throwing a chair around the room in a fit of frustration as he saw the entire island engulfed in a nuclear explosion while shouting curses and ranting about. Meanwhile in the ocean heading south…Andrius put the Metal Gear into autopilot, as the machine would take him straight to where the final confrontation between him and Noir Fox would take place. He had rescued the hostages, eliminated the terrorist threat, and destroyed Metal Gear NEO. Killing the legendary solider: Noir Fox his the final objective.

A/N: the battle turned out nicely, and now the destined battle: Noir Fox vs. Andrius. Although I had planned to have Furia killed again by Snake, but I think Python freezing him was better. Long enough to get nuked by Rau who I thought would enjoy firing off a nuclear weapon. The next chapter I intend to make the longest and most interesting battle I can write. Thanks for the reviews again…your input helps out a lot.


	19. Chapter 19 Destiny's Way

Chapter 19

Destiny's Way

Two days later in the Pacific Ocean, Solidus was sleeping inside the cockpit of RAY after finishing the last packet of rations he had to keep his strength up. As the Metal Gear neared its destination an alarm went off inside the cockpit waking the Orb Agent from his slumber. Once he was wide-awake he found that RAY had stopped just short of the shoreline, as its head was halfway out of the water looking straight ahead. Taking RAY's controls Solidus guided RAY onto the beach before he shut down the machine after lowering its head.

The cockpit opened up as a group of children suddenly ran up to the machine and began touching it while saying how cool it was with similar comments. Solidus climbed out of the machine as a number of children looked at him. Solidus looked down at them as a man with a cane and short brown hair approached. "What is with all of the excitement?" The blind man asked.

"Forgive my intrusion Revered Mariko."

"Who are you?"

"I am an agent from the Orb Union. We met once before…my name is Andrius."

"Andrius." Mariko paused for a moment. "Yes I remember you now. You are that young man who came with Representative Char to my island to instruct you in wildness survival a few years ago?"

"Yes sir."

"I see what brings you here?"

"I was given coordinates to your island and was instructed to come here. I am afraid my mission is to eliminate a renegade soldier who was responsible for the destruction of a military facility in Orb and for attempted nuclear attacks on the Orb Union and the Atlantic Federation. I am afraid I cannot reveal any more than that. She is on this island and I must find her."

"I understand."

"Please keep the children near you, and out of the jungle. I doubt things will be pleasant. Please keep them away."

"I appreciate the warning. Noir Fox is the one you seek right?"

"How did you know?"

"She came to me and told me you'll find her in a flower field that is on the far side of the island at the base of the small mountain." Mariko answered as he pointed in the direction where Solidus needed to go."

"Thank you." Without another word Solidus started walking into the jungle as he began making his way towards the place where Fox was waiting for him. His journey to the far side of the island took him close to an hour, but finally he came across a clearing that was filled with white flowers in full bloom. The field was completely covered in flowers and it was circular shaped wide enough for two tennis courts to be set up.

Solidus walked into the field as some white petals flowed with the wind and flew by Solidus as he neared the field's center. As he stood at the heart of the field the sound of someone gagged caught his attention. He looked to his right and saw at the far end of the field was a man in his late fifties with gray hair, glasses, white coat, black shirt and paints with shoes was tied to a tree with his mouth tapped over.

"Life's end" A woman's voice said as Solidus turned around and saw Noir Fox standing there as she dropped a Davy Crocket. Identical to the one Rau had used. "Isn't it beautiful? It's almost tragic. When life ends, it gives off a final lingering aroma. Light is but a farewell gift from the darkness to those on their way to die. I've been waiting, Andrius, for a long time. Waiting for your birth, your growth, and the finality of today." Noir spoke as Solidus looked at her and asked.

"Did you destroy Shadow Moses with that nuclear warhead?"

"Yes I destroyed Shadow Moses with the nuclear missile fired from this Davy Crocket. I had no wish for Blue Cosmos to get their hands on the N-Jammer Canceller Data."

"Why are you doing Samira?"

"Why? I wish to make the world one again. The world used to be whole. But with the end of the Third World War and the revelation of George Glenn's secret, the Patriots were scattered as the new organization: the Merchants of Death Logos rose to replace them. Do you know why George Glenn was created Snake…do you know the true reason?"

"No…I thought he was just an experiment to improve humans when they are born?"

"That was the reason Logos wanted everyone to believe, but the organization's true leader Liquid Ocelot created Glenn not only to create the Chaos that ended the Patriot's rule over the Earth, but as a means to plant the seeds of new wars."

"What?" A surprised Solidus exclaimed.

"Andrius: why do Blue Cosmos hate coordinators so much?"

"Because to them genetic engineering is against nature?"

"That is their excuse…the reality of the matter is they envy coordinators because of their genetically enhanced abilities and talents. It has always been that way with humans. When someone wants something someone has they begin to grow envious until they hate them. That is what Liquid Ocelot wanted…he wanted the existence of beings superior to humans to create feelings of hate and envy which would inevitable trigger another war. He knows humans; or rather naturals would grow to hate coordinators because they are superior while they were inferior. Liquid Ocelot felt this way when he learned that he was born as genetic trash and hated his genetically superior brother for taking his birth right." Fox explained as Solidus was left speechless.

"Liquid recreated those feelings in humanity to nurture the seeds of future wars. To even ensure new wars are breed he created Blue Cosmos to implant feelings of hate and fear in coordinators, including giving them the feeling that they were superior to naturals in every way creating the arrogance many coordinators carry nowadays. Coordinators were created as means to begin a new kind of war, and now we are seeing the fruits of his plans. Logos was created to manufacture wars so the military companies that make up the Merchants of Death would make mountains of profits off these wars and creating a world full of war just, as he wanted it. Events like the outbreak of the Type S and Type S2 influenzas were all his works as well."

"I don't believe it?"

"Believe it Solidus…Liquid Ocelot controls the flow of information and technology in the world. The Patriots didn't take and hide the technology that made RAY, but rather Ocelot kept the most advance technology and weaponry for himself while the various organizations, nations and branches of Logos were given what Ocelot wanted them to receive as a means to control which weapons each side could use. The Neutron Jammer Canceller for instance, Liquid Ocelot already possess the Canceller, but has no intention of giving to the Alliance because he knows his subordinate organization Blue Cosmos would destroy the PLANT and his seeds for new wars would disappear. Instead he works to keep such technologies out of their hands to prolong the war as long as the _market _requires. He holds a monopoly over war."

Solidus was stunned as Fox's words hit Andrius like a hammer in the face. Fox continued to explain more. "Now as a result of Liquid Ocelot's plans to create new wars using coordinators our world has been torn apart. The Cobras, my comrades who trained and fought alongside me, were torn apart thanks to the virus given to me was designed for the purpose of forcing me into that slumber for later use in Ocelot's plans. Some of the Cobras who weren't immortal or ageless joined me in that slumber. The foibles of politics and the march of time can turn friends into enemies just as easily as the wind changes." Fox stopped to take a breath.

"Ridiculous, isn't it? Yesterday's ally becomes today's opposition. And this new war? Think back...when I was leading the Cobras, the countries of Earth were fighting against one another. Now consider whether PLANT and Earth will still be enemies in the next thirty to forty years from now? Somehow, I doubt it. Enemies change along with the times, and the flow of the ages. And we soldiers are forced to play along. I didn't raise you and shape you into the man you are today just so we could face each other in battle. A soldier's skills aren't meant to be used to hurt friends, so then what is an enemy? Is there such thing as an absolute timeless enemy? There is no such thing and never has been. And the reason is that our enemies are human beings like us. They can only be our enemies in relative terms. The world must be made whole again. The Patriots must be reunited and restored to power. I will devote my skills to that purpose. And once I locate the legacy of the Patriots I will achieve that end. Just as I once created the Cobras. They are my family. I may no longer be able to bear children now, but I still have a family.

"The Legacy of the Patriots?"

"The last surviving members of the Patriots leadership, the Wisemen's committee gathered together in a secret meeting during the last days of the Reconstruction War. They realized that their power over the world would soon be broken and would ultimately be destroyed by Liquid Ocelot and his newly formed organization. To leave a means to strike back at him the Wisemen pooled their resources, drawing money and resources from Orb, the newly born Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation along with whatever the Patriot still held to what would be called the Legacy of the Patriots. A blueprint for defeating Liquid Ocelot and Logos in the future: the location of storehouses containing weapons, technology and equipment…not like the one you found RAY in. But the storehouse you found is merely an appetizer compared to what was hidden.

Fox paused before she continued. "Also information containing the locations of banks where money stashed around the world where funds for this plan of revenge were laundered through banks throughout the world: Hong Kong, Australia, England, New York and other places where the money would be safe. Enough funds and resources to fight the Reconstruction War ten times over, however that is not even taking into account the accumulated interest that has built up in the various banks worldwide where the money is hidden so the amount of money may have doubled since then. In order to protect the Legacy the disc containing the information needed to find the money and various storehouses was spilt into two special optical discs. In order for the information to be accessed they must be placed inside Metal Gear RAY's computer together in order to undo the encryption. I already know the location of one half of the Legacy is. I know where one disc is, and the other…I have a good feeling of the person who has it is."

Solidus remained silent as he was completely stunned and left speechless by these revelations, but decided to finally ask a question.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have a right to know. There is more, but I'll let you discover the deeper truths behind your birth and our battle today on your own. Logos is an organization that must be destroyed. The men who lead Logos have no sense of good or evil. Their influence extends to countries and organizations involved in every aspect of every war. They have become war itself. That's how they operate. The sacrifices of war cause a shift in the times. This shift leads to renewed conflict and in turn triggers the next war. Like a nuclear chain reaction, each conflict sparks countless others, forming an endless spiral of war that will continue on for eternity. Do you understand what I'm saying, Snake? By consuming you and me; Logos and Ocelot intend to keep this cycle of war and bloodshed going on forever until the end of the human race."

Fox reached for a flask behind her belt as she removed the top; she poured the contents on top of her head. The contents were in fact a liquid that washed away any hair dyes and colorings used to hair a person's true natural hair color. Her brown hair washed away revealing her true hair color…pink.

"This is my real hair color Andrius. I hid it as a means to protect my daughter and my husband who are at the PLANTs right now. The truth is Andrius…I am not a natural, but a coordinator as well. First Generation created shortly after Glenn was produced, but unlike him my body was integrated with the genetic material of Big Boss's original mentor…the Boss. I helped end the war and formed the Cobras by the time I was twenty-four. Then I went into a deep cryo-slumber. I awoke around the time when the PLANT colonies were being built. I had gone to the PLANTs to be an undercover agent, and it was there that I met my husband. We fell in love and years later we had a child together…a beautiful baby girl. I learned about the Patriots from him because he is the son of one of the surviving members of the Wisemen Committee. His best friend is also the child of a Wisemen's Committee member." Noir Fox drew her CQC knife and her pistol, which mirrored Solidus's own handgun.

"I had hoped to stay at the PLANTs with my family, but in the end I was forced to leave. I was able to see my daughter from time to time, but in the end I had to fake my death. Only my husband knew I was alive, I came back to Earth to raise you full time and to pass my hope of the future onto you. I gave up my body and my child for my country. I don't mean only Orb, but even the PLANTs as well. There is nothing left inside me now. Nothing at all, no hatred, not even regret. It broke my heart doing the things I have done for PLANT and Orb. I have been betrayed and set-up a number of times by the very country I swore to my life to and defended, but I am loyal and I will be loyal to the end." Fox looked into Solidus's eyes and smiled. "I have never seen anyone with such clear eyes." She let out a brief chuckle.

"I've never talked this much about myself before. Thanks... thanks for listening to me. I feel...content. Andrius" Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "I raised you. I loved you. I've given you weapons, taught you techniques, and endowed you with knowledge. There is nothing more for me to give you. All that's left for you to take is my life, by your own hand. One must die and one must live. No victory, no defeat. The survivor will carry on the fight. It is our destiny...the one who survives will inherit the title of Boss and the one who loses will be released from the battlefield. And the one who inherits the title of Boss will face an existence of endless battle. Andrius if you win you must live the life of a warrior until you die. People like us will never have the chance to die quietly of old age. Remember this Andrius: the world belongs to you as much as you belong to it. Let's finish this!" Fox declared as she readied herself for battle.

"Samira!" Solidus cried out.

"You're a soldier! Finish your mission! Prove your loyalty!" Fox demanded. "Face me!" A jewel-like seed fell in front of Samira's eyes as she entered her own SEED mode. She fired a bullet at Andrius. Although the boy evaded it…the bullet however managed to leave a thin cut on his cheek. Knowing full well Fox was serious…she would fight until she killed him. He knew it was his mission and if Fox wanted it then he'll honor her wish for a final battle to the bitter end. His resolve was stronger than ever with chance of wavering as a jewel-like seed fell in front of Andrius's eye as he too went into SEED. "Face me!" Fox demanded before she came straight at Solidus marking the beginning to their battle.

Solidus ran towards Fox as he fired bullet after bullet from his gun at the female soldier while Samira responded by shooting bullets from her own weapon as well. The two soldiers failed to shoot the other, but their bullets came dangerously close to hitting one another. Fox grabbed hold of Andrius's handgun after she head butted her foe in the face. In the brief collusion Andrius was knocked to the ground with a second head butt, his gun was dismantled by Fox using one hand as she aimed her own handgun at Solidus's head.

When she pulled the trigger nothing happened, and that was when she noticed all she had was the handle of her weapon. Solidus looked up and smiled at her as he tossed her back the pieces of her handgun which he had dismantled himself during their up-close scuffle. Solidus back flipped up to his feet as he dropped into a CQC stance while Fox did the same, as both combatants were ready.

Samira charged first as she tried to take Andrius's arm and break it, but this time the young coordinator blocked by flexing his arm back right before head butting Samira in the side of the face to stun her long enough for Andrius to slip behind her. Fox countered by head butting Solidus in the face three time in a row, but Andrius grabbed her arm and tried to break as he stomped the back of her left knee. The woman fell onto one knee, but that wasn't the end of it. Samira used the opportunity to drop flat on her chest and roll to the left before running to her feet to escape Solidus's hold.

The woman was back on her feet as Solidus was already coming after her as Samira extended one arm forward to grab Solidus, but Andrius turned his body and slipped by as he took the arm, pulled the woman forward and jabbed his elbow into her stomach right before he flipped her over his shoulder.

Fox drew her knife to attack Solidus, but the young man managed to quickly knock it from her hand while Fox did the same to him while Andrius was reaching for his own blade. Both combatants had been unarmed evening the playing field out to the point where it would be hand-to-hand from now on.

The two soldiers fought as they continued to exchange blows. No matter how many times Solidus struck Fox or no matter how many blows Fox dealt Solidus both soldiers seemed perfectly even in skill and strength. Fox grabbed hold of Solidus's right arm and was about to twist it so she could dislocate it, but in a feat of acrobatics Solidus leapt into the air and turned his arm and body preventing Fox from twisting it while he kicked Fox in the face twice in a row before landing back on the ground as he knocked the female soldier off her feet.

However Samira flipped her body over in mid air and landed back on her feet as she rushed at Solidus this time displaying her own feats of acrobatic ability. The woman leapt into the air and landed a kick on Solidus's face, but before she could land the second kick; Solidus grabbed her leg and threw her to the ground, but Fox's leg came around as both of her legs locked onto Solidus's arm before dragging him to the ground. There he received another kick to the face.

Solidus rolled on the ground to move away from Fox before returning to his feet. Fox did the same before the two went at it once again. This time Solidus reached for the HF blade Snake had given him as he was going to use it against Fox, but the woman attacked him before Andrius could finish drawing it from the leather scabbard on his back. Taking seizing the blade with her hands she tossed the blade away before kicking Solidus in the stomach.

Solidus countered attacked by kicking Samira in the stomach, but the woman leapt into the air over him to attack him from behind. However he spun around and intercepted Samira by punching her square in the face before slipping behind her in one fast motion bringing his hands together into one large fist before slamming them down onto her back. Fox dropped to her knees, but it wasn't enough to stop her from counter attack as she leapt forward to escape Solidus's second attack right before she ran straight at him.

Solidus moved in to attack, but Samira leapt into the air again trying to get behind him. Andrius was ready for her as he stopped her in mid air by punching her in the waist while she was over him. She started to fall as Andrius moved, but knelt down allowing the woman to land on top of Solidus's knee. The landing hurt the woman a lot more than it did Solidus. Andrius followed it up by driving his elbow into the woman's rib cage.

Fox countered by punching Andrius in the face followed by a second punch that knocked the coordinator flat on his back as Samira attacked by grabbing his neck as she tried to strangle him to death. Acting quickly, Solidus poked Samira in the eyes with two fingers before pushing the woman off of him with his foot. Andrius returned to his feet in time as Samira got back up.

Samira rushed him again, and although Andrius kicked her in the face it didn't stop her from grabbing her enemy's waist before picking him up and slammed his head into the ground with a well-performed German suplex. Solidus wasn't done as he brought one of his legs down on Samira as he managed to slip free of the woman's grip before scrambling to return to his feet.

Blood dripped from the young man's mouth followed by little bit from his forehead as Solidus moved back, but Samira took hold of something on the ground near by before coming after Solidus. Andrius stepped back just in time to avoid getting his stomach cut open by Samira as she had taken hold of Andrius's HF sword right before she took a swing at Solidus with it.

Taking a moment to look behind him, Solidus turned and dived to the ground and rolled forward as Samira came at him swinging Andrius's sword. The young man moved forward while he seized something from the ground and taking something his equipment belt before he jumped up from the ground and rolled head first along the ground again while shuffling something in his hands as Samira closed in for the kill since it seemed that she had Andrius cornered.

Andrius was on his knees as he turned around pointing a reassembled handgun at her right before firing the weapon. Samira had tried to stop in her tracks, but it was too late as four bullets hit her. Two at her kneecaps, one in her kidney and the fourth hit her right lung. Solidus knew Samira may have killed him with the sword, so he retrieved the two pieces of his handgun, reassembled them while he was rolling across the ground as he inserted a fresh ammo clip into the weapon before using it catching Samira by surprise.

Astonished and surprised; Samira fell backwards and landed on the ground with thud. Solidus wiped the blood from his lips before he got back up to his feet and walked over to the dying Noir Fox. Solidus looked down at the woman with a look of regret at what he had done to the woman he has known as a mother and a master.

With nothing but sadness in his eyes he knelt down next to Fox as his mentor lay dying in front of him as blood began to pour from her mouth because blood was filling her lungs thanks to the shot she had taken to her lung. "Take this…keep it safe." Fox muttered as she handed Solidus a small box that held a single optical disc.

"What is this?"

"One half of the Legacy…it's yours now...you have earned it. You'll be glad you have it someday if you find the other half."

"But why?"

Samira smiled at him as she reached out with one hand and touched her student's face. She despite being killed at her student's hands…Samira still loved him. Andrius saw it in her eyes. Andrius fought the woman with no murderous intent or hate. Their battle was pure, something that transcended emotions and words that no one, except one could ever understand. "Andrius...or should I say...Solidus...you're a wonderful man. I love you. Please…kill me…kill me now. Do it." Samira said, as she grew weaker. Andrius clutched his mentor's hand as tears fell from his face. Seeing his master in her current condition, knowing that he had done this to her, and now he was being asked to kill her…was breaking Andrius's heart.

"There's only room for one Big Boss...and one Snake." Samira said as Solidus finally let go of his master's hand and stood up. Standing over her Solidus aimed his weapon at her. Seconds seemed like hours in that moment as Solidus looked at his mentor's eyes for one last time before he pulled the trigger. The sound of his gun firing echoed through the sky as Samira also known as Noir Fox had been slain by her own student. Solidus watched as lie disappeared from his mentor's eyes, as they remained opened looking into his. A minute would pass before Solidus knelt down and with one hand closed Samira's eyes.

A sad Solidus stood back up as the white flowers around him began to mystically turn red around the area where Fox had died right before the whole flower field had turned from white to blood red. Gusts of wind swept pass Solidus as dozens of red petals were blown into the air, one petal landed in Solidus's hand as he clutched the petal tightly in his hand as one final tear fell from his face.

A/N: well that battle was good…Fox has died and now Solidus has begun on the same path Big Boss himself walked. The battles may be over, but the time has come for the wrap-ups and a future look into what will come next. This chapter may be a little shorter than my usual ones, but I wanted this chapter dedicated completely to Samira and Andrius's final battle.


	20. Chapter 20 Scars of Battle

A/N: I forgot his name is actually spelled/translated: Reverend Malchio, I was going with the wrong translated/spelled name. From this point on, any new fics I do involving Malchio will be spelled right.

Chapter 20

A wounded soul

Two days later at Reverend Malchio's Orphanage: Otacon was sitting in a chair next to Reverend Malchio while they were watching a television broadcast from Orb. A knock came at the door as one of the children hurried over to answer it. Otacon followed the child to see who it was.

"Snake!" Otacon exclaimed as he saw the face of his old friend standing at the door while behind him were Python and Nemo along with Raiden standing at the bottom of the steps. "Did you guys just arrive here?"

"Yeah…the gunship took awhile to get here from Shadow Moses. I am glad you're alright."

"It's good to see that you are still alive too."

"Where is Solidus?" Nemo asked, as Otacon seemed saddened by the mention of the young man's name.

"He returned to Orb the other day with Metal Gear RAY."

"Then he defeated her." Python added.

"Yes…an Orb recovery team came a couple hours later to recover her body. We heard from a friend Reverend Malchio has at Morgenroete that Fox has already been buried in a local cemetery earlier today under her real name."

"Where is Solidus now?" Raiden asked.

"We are about to see him on the television set." Malchio pointed out. "Orb is holding a special broadcast that will reveal the hero of Shadow Moses. Apparently the nuclear blast that destroyed Shadow Moses has terrified the public forcing both Orb and the Atlantic Federation some of the details that happened."

"Like what?" Snake asked.

"They said that a renegade military group composed of men and women from Eurasia and Orb invaded Shadow Moses: led by the Legendary Solider Noir Fox, hero of the Reconstruction War who was awakened from a suspended animation after the Reconstruction War when she came down with a rare disease. Along with aid from ZAFT who provided two nuclear bombs that are unaffected by Neutron Jammers were planning to launch a nuclear strike on Washington D.C. and the Orb Union. However the Orb Government was forced to provide proof that it wasn't involved so they sent their best intelligence agent into Shadow Moses and neutralize the threat after the Alliance failed to retake the base. Orb's best agent defeated Fox's legendary unit the Cobras and Noir Fox while preventing a nuclear strike. That is some of the details outlined in the morning newspaper. The PLANTs have provided a similar news report except that the ZAFT military members involved were renegades that had endangered their nation by brining their experimental Neutron Jammer Canceller technology to an Alliance base." Malchio explained.

"It sounds more like they are purposely revealing to the world what happened so the Alliance can blame what happened at Shadow Moses on the PLANTs and give Andrius an overblown reputation." Snake remarked.

"I agree…Solidus is only being displayed as a hero so Orb can calm its people to assure them they were saved and kept from getting dragged into the war by this one soldier." Raiden added.

"I think there is more to it." Python began as all eyes fell on him. "They are going to give him the title Big Boss. That is what happened following Operation Snake Eater when Naked Snake returned home and was awarded by the President of the United States."

"You think that is what is going to happen?" Nemo asked.

"Maybe, but it looks like we're about to find out." Snake answered as he pointed to the television set. At the same time in Orb, Solidus was walking down a hallway wearing a black and dark-gray version of the Orb military uniform with the yellow neck scarf replaced with a dark green scarf; he also had a patch with FOXHOUND's emblem on the right arm opposite of the Orb Union emblem on his left arm. Instead of the traditional Orb military cap, Solidus was wearing a black beret with the FOXHOUND patch on it. As Solidus walked down the hall he remembered what Otacon had told him after his battle against Noir Fox.

After an emotional moment and freeing the aged man from his bounds did Otacon began to retell what Fox had asked him to tell her student after she was killed by Solidus's own hands. _Solidus…Fox…she never betrayed Orb. No she was in fact carrying out a mission for her country. Two of Orb's ruling families conspired to get their hands on ZAFT's Neutron Jammer Canceller Technology and acquire the data from the Atlantic Federation's Metal Gear Project so they could develop a metal gear of their own to as a means to not only maintain their neutrality, but to ensure neither the PLANTs or the Alliance could threaten them thus giving Orb military supremacy over them._

_They knew getting the data from both the Alliance and the PLANTs would be troublesome…at least not without either of them becoming aware of their plans. So they staged your mission as a means to get Metal Gear's plans when FOXHOUND hacked the base's computer network during your rescue operation of my great grandson. Then they followed it up with the aid of rouge elements within ZAFT and Eurasia to kidnap Azrael to use as a hostage along with the President of the Atlantic Federation and other VIPs who were at Shadow Moses inspecting Metal Gear NEO. All this was arranged through a member of the organization called Logos by one of its leading members. Fox doesn't know who it was, but it seems he had contacted one of the two families in Orb in an attempt to recruit Fox through them. It gave them the opening they needed. _Solidus stepped through the doors ahead of him as he was greeted by the sound of clapping hands and the flashes from a number of cameras in hands of photographers present in the room. The room was Orb's legislation council chamber.

_The Logos Member involved wanted Fox, the rouge Eurasia and ZAFT soldiers to steal Metal Gear NEO and hold Azrael and the President Hostage in a ploy to discredit Azrael with the rest of Logos while at the same time arrange for the elimination of the rouge soldiers involved which you carried out for them. With Shadow Moses destroyed by a nuke along with NEO Azrael has most likely being humiliated, but the death of Sadique a number of members from his rouge faction and ZAFT was a bonus the Logos Member accepted. _Solidus walked through the crowd of people and military officials towards Representative Homura, Representative Koto Sahaku and Representative Unato Ema Seiran. Standing with them was Chief Representative Uzumi Nala Athha near the podium at the heart of the room. Solidus was standing before Uzumi as he began speaking.

"Today we are recognizing a soldier who went beyond the call of duty and triumphed over impossible odds. You defeated Noir Fox and her Legendary Cobra Unit as well as prevented a nuclear attack on our nation along with a strike on a major city in the Atlantic Federation. Although it has been our nation's stand-point to stay out of the affairs of other nations, but it is unfortunate that what occurred at Shadow Moses as the result of Fox's betrayal forced us to prove our innocence or face the prospect of war coming to our country. You young man, have prevented that." Uzumi finished speaking as he nodded to Unato who wished to say a few words.

"Young Andrius…you are above even Noir Fox. So it is fitting that we bestow upon you the title of Big Boss. The greatest soldier we have ever seen." Unato said proudly as the fact that this young man was given the title the greatest soldier of the twentieth century received. This not only surprised those present, but it even surprised Uzumi as well. Unato took an item from a wooden box Koto was holding. Unato pinned a golden medal shaped like the Orb Union insignia on Solidus's uniform. "You are the first soldier in over a decade to have earned the Distinguished Patriotic Service Medal. Our country's highest honor a soldier could receive. You are a true patriot." Uzumi stepped forward and saluted Solidus, who in turn returned the salute.

Uzumi offered his hand to Solidus, but the young man was hesitant for a moment, however Solidus did offer his hand a few moments later, so the two men shook hands while photographers were busy taking pictures of the two men sharing a firm handshake. A few moments later Koto Sahaku approached to offer his hand, but Solidus coldly walked passed him as the young soldier was making his way to the door.

On the way he saw Mr. Tech and Nana, but he gave them the cold shoulder and left the room as he walked passed them without even acknowledging they were there. _Solidus, the Les Enfant Terrible Project that created you wasn't meant to just create a new child of Big Boss using his genetics. This time they were actually intending to create a recreation of Big Boss. You were picked to take part in the second phase of the project, which involved you going through the same events, and missions that shaped Big Boss into the soldier he became. The reason you were selected was because you were more genetically suited at birth to assume the title of Big Boss._ _The events at Shadow Moses set the stage for the official phase two of the project and Fox to carry out her greatest mission. It is what the Patriots were waiting for, and they used Logos' plans to carry out their own agenda. _

_The mission given to Fox was to die at the hands of her most beloved disciple. The public couldn't be allowed to find out about it...not ever. This is what the Patriots wanted. It was meant to mirror the final battle between Naked Snake and his mentor the Boss. That was the mission she was given. And she had no choice but to carry it out. Her death at your hands was a duty she had to fulfill. Out of duty, she turned her back on her own comrades. A lesser woman would have been crushed by such a burden._ Later that day Solidus arrived by cab at a small local cemetery.

After paying the driver, Solidus stepped out of the cab as he began walking into the cemetery with a suitcase in hand. _The taint of disgrace will follow her to her grave. Future generations will revile her. In the nation of Orb she'll be remembered as a despicable traitor with no sense of honor. And in the Atlantic Federation, as a monster who attempted to unleash a nuclear catastrophe. She will go down in official history as a war criminal. And no one will ever understand her. That...was her final mission. And like a true soldier, she saw it through the end._ Otacon's words continue to repeat themselves in Solidus's mind as he approached a lone tombstone near the base of a near by tree.

Andrius arrived at the tombstone as it read: Samira Clyne, date of birth unknown, date of death: December 12, Cosmic Era 69. Solidus knelt down in front of the stone as he laid a bouquet of red roses he pulled out from the suitcase at the base of the tombstone. Solidus drew Fox's weapon and laid it next to the flowers. _But I think she wanted you of all people to know the truth. She wanted to live on in your memory. Not as a soldier, but as a woman. But she was forbidden to tell you herself. And that's why she told me._

_Everything done was done so the Patriots could recreate a new Big Boss…you, by sacrificing Fox. History will never know what she did. No one will ever learn the truth._ Solidus rose to his feet. _Her story...her debriefing...will endure only in your heart. Everything she did, she did for her country. She sacrificed her life and her honor for her native land. She was a real hero and a soldier who died carrying out her mission knowing full well what would happen. _Solidus standing over Samira's tombstone gave her a salute. _She was a true patriot. _

A few moments later a voice spoke to him as he approached. "Had a feeling I would find you here." Solidus turned his head and saw Snake approaching. Snake was sporting a black suit Reverend Malchio gave him.

"Pliskin…what do you want?" Solidus asked him.

"Actually the name is David. Pliskin was a name I used to protect myself since I had no idea who or what you were."

"David…can't say I blame you for using a false name all things considered." Solidus replied as he it wasn't beyond reason to use a false name especially if you encountered someone you weren't sure about in a place like Shadow Moses. "So David what do you want?"

"I came to pay my respects." Snake answered as he stood next to Solidus while saluting Fox's grave. "Otacon told me what happened, and what Fox's message to you was."

"I see."

"I know what I say isn't going to make things any better, but I have an idea of what you are going through. I killed one of my friends and commanding officer in the past during my military career. My experiences at Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land were traumatizing."

"Outer Heaven?" Solidus commented as he remembered Fox telling that the two fortified nations created by Big Boss were Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land. "How could you have experienced battles at those places? They were both brought down over a hundred years ago."

"Right…the truth is Solidus that I was frozen following my final mission in the Middle East. They wanted live cell samples for further study and research to use."

"For what?" Solidus said, as he seemed curious and a little surprised.

"Experiments around Big Boss's genetics. I am one of the surviving children of the first Les Enfant Terribles Project."

"What then" Everything was falling into place in Solidus's mind as he realized who David really was. "You're Solid Snake…the man who killed Big Boss."

"Yeah that's me."

"Then that Otacon fellow…you had gone to Shadow Moses to save him."

"Yeah…that was one reason when an anonymous tip pointed to Shadow Moses when a rouge group of Eurasia Federation Soldiers took and dragged him along so they could use him to finish NEO."

"I guess everything adds up now."

"So what exactly are you planning to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you did have a lot of choices but you can start making your own choices from this moment on."

"So I can be manipulated again…the title of Big Boss and Orb's greatest Patriot and legendary hero. You have no idea how much I wanted to start screaming and going after Uzumi and the other Representatives. I was used as a puppet and then exploited for murder against a woman I knew as a mother."

"Legends don't mean a whole lot. I was just a name to exploit. Just like you. People will remember only the good part, the right part of what you did."

"There's no right part in murder, not ever." Solidus remarked as his hands hung by his sides.

"I am not fighting to make a name for myself. I am not interested in having the same reputation as Big Boss did."

"Then what are you and Otacon fighting for?"

"A future" Snake replied before he looked at Solidus with a serious expression. "You can stop being part of a mistake, starting now."

"What am I, what am I supposed to do?"

"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing I was good at, but...at least I always fought for what I believed in. That is what a friend once told me."

"That doesn't exactly help."

"Find something to believe in. And find it for yourself, and when you do, pass it on to the future."

"Believe in what?"

"That's your problem."

Solidus was taking in what Snake told him and the things Fox hold taught him throughout his life. He didn't know what to believe in, but he did know what he could do. "I don't know what to believe in, but I'll find it…I'll find my reason for fighting. However there is one thing I could do. I'll need to see someone first through. Once I am done I'll need sometime alone to short things out."

"I understand…if you need to talk I'll be at Reverend Malchio's for a few days until Otacon and I decide where to go."

"Thanks, and could you please keep an eye on Nemo for me. I don't want the Alliance to regain possession of her."

"No problem you can count on me."

Solidus turned and left the cemetery as he was filled with a new sense of propose…the Orb Union may have used him as their puppet at Shadow Moses, but from now on…Solidus Snake was going to be acting on his own with no one to give him orders or manipulative him. Later that day at Representative Char's office: George entered his office with a briefcase in his hand. His office was inside Morgenroete main building on the tenth floor with a metal polished desk and a computer in the center of it with a couple bookshelves against the walls in front of his desk and a pair of chairs in front. Behind the desk was a large window where one could see entire the facility with sunlight shinning through the glass. The office itself carried a sterile environment with gray walls and floor, but its shape size was similar to that of Uzumi's office.

After closing the door there was a clicking sound, the sound of someone taking the safety off a handgun. George turned his attention and looked over to his right where a person deactivated an optical sheath camouflage he was wearing. "Solidus...what the hell are you doing?" George demanded when he saw Solidus, wearing a new OCTO-CAM5 Sneaking Suit, standing right next to him with a 45 pistol equipped with a silencer pointed to his head.

"We're playing twenty questions Representative…one where is RAY?"

"Why do you want to know?" George asked him, but Solidus's just began pressing the barrel of his gun closer to his head.

"I am asking the questions here. Where is RAY?"

"In Morgenroete's research department on the 5th underground subbasement right below this building. Why are you doing this Solidus?"

"Because you bastards set Fox up…you forced her on that mission just so you could get your hands on the Neutron Jammer Canceller Technology and Metal Gear NEO. Everything was a set up!" Solidus declared as the temptation to pull the trigger boiled up within him.

"What?" A surprised George asked.

"I'll explain it!" Solidus snapped as he told him everything Fox had told him along with what he came to discover at Shadow Moses. The explanation took time, but eventually Solidus laid out all of the facts before George who was taken back by these facts. "I am not letting Orb keep RAY. I am going to steal it and then go underground."

"Then you are intending to break free of both the Patriots and Logos? It won't be easy boy…I speak from experience."

"What would you know?"

"I swear that I knew nothing about Fox's mission to die at your hands…I was left in the dark as much as you were. I'll admit I knew about the Les Enfant Terrible Project, but I had no idea that this is what they were intending for you. If you wish to cut your strings as a puppet…then I'll help you."

"You're lying?"

"No I am quite serious…I know what its like to be used as a puppet by the Patriots. Although I wasn't successful in destroying them in the past, but I only worked for them to help raise you so I could lend a hand in destroying Logos along with Liquid…if the bastard is still alive."

"What are you talking about?" A confused Solidus asked as George smiled at him before he took one hand to the bottom of his neck. To Solidus's surprise George began pulling off a full head mask made of artificial skin and hair. After pulling the mask off George had the face of a man in his early sixties. His face was almost identical to the mask he had been wearing except that his face was clean-shaven and his grayish-white hair was shorter, gelled back almost.

"If one person was to run a Thesaurus check on the last name of my pseudonym name Sears…they would find that the word Sear is another meaning for Char. The world knew me as the President of the United States George Sears, but I was known by my codename…a codename I bestowed upon you Andrius. I am the original Solidus Snake." George spoke as Andrius was shocked by this latest revelation.

"How the hell did you survive, Fox said that the original Solidus Snake was killed in the year of 2007 during the incident at the Big Shell in New York City."

"By all rights I should have died, but it seems the blow I suffered wasn't as fatal as it first appeared. The electronic feedback combined with the blow I suffered sent my mind into a whirl before I eventually passed out from the cybernetic feed back from my suit. The suit's nanopaste repair system that it carried sealed the hole in my suit and managed to keep any more blood from spilling out long enough for agents of the Patriots to reclaim my body, repair it by grafting a new cybernetic spine to my back to replace my ruined spine along with a few other implants to sustain me. From there…like my brother I too was placed in suspended animation so the Patriots could have the live genetic samples of a child of Big Boss."

"If what you are saying is true then how did you get out of the freezer?"

"Quite simple…the Patriots released me telling that my time in prison was long enough. In exchange for my freedom and a position here in Orb as CEO of Morgenroete and as one of its ruling Representatives I had to help Fox raise and train you…along with establishing a new FOXHOUND in the process. Those were the conditions, so you could be used in their plan of revenge against Logos and to reclaim their former position as rulers of the world."

"I'll destroy Logos, but I'll destroy the Patriots as well."

"Revenge huh…a good enough reason I say, but like I said…I don't like the Patriots as much as I do Logos so I'll give you a hand with stealing RAY."

"How can I trust you?" Andrius asked as he kept his gun steady.

"How are you planning to get RAY out of the country without the entire Orb military coming down on you? Where were you planning to go with it?" George asked with a smile as he noticed that Andrius hadn't planned that far ahead. "In four days it will be taken aboard a transport shuttle bound for Heliopolis where it will be further examined and studied at the Morgenroete research facility. You can sneak aboard the shuttle and hijack it, and then you'll be in a perfect position to steal it and make a clean get away. I can arrange for someone to bring a small ship to pick up the shuttle's crew so you don't have to kill them if you want to."

Andrius slowly lowered his gun before asking "What about you…won't they investigate the theft?"

"Don't worry I have all of the data from the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater. If I decide to go public and if Orb learns that they have been interfering with nations despite their policy and if the Alliance learns about it then there will be quite a political uproar. I can take care of myself and besides…the cybernetic implants within my body and the medications have been taking have managed to prolong my life despite the cellar degeneration. I don't know how much longer I got to live until I die from the genetic shortcomings, but until I do kick the bucket I am going to ensure my hope to see both Logos and the Patriots destroyed will survive."

George made his way over to his desk as he turned on his computer as he proceeded to search the database for all information regarding RAY's transport. After collecting all of the data he downloaded it onto a spare disc he had in his drawer before giving it to Andrius.

"There…that information should help you pull off a successful theft. I suggest you find some people to help out. If you have someone who can fly a small shuttle to dump the crew on then let me know and I'll arrange it. Just don't tell my brother or his cyborg companion who I really am."

"Alright" Andrius accepted the disc before reactivating his sheath camouflage. The young man exited the room and eventually the facility under the guise of invisibility. Once Andrius was gone, George began going into a series of coughing spasm followed by a feeling of pain coursing throughout his body. He scrambled to open a bottle of blue and white pills he drew from his draw. In mere seconds he swallowed down two pills and in a few moments the pain stopped.

"You have to live Andrius!" George muttered as he began to smile.


	21. Chapter 21 Departure

Chapter 21

Departure

Later that evening at Reverend Malchio's Orphanage, Python was standing out at the beach by himself as he was looking out at the sea. Snake and Otacon were inside Malchio's cabin with Nemo while Python stepped outside to enjoy the night air. Soon the sounds of footsteps in the sand alerted the former Cobra to the presence of another approaching from behind.

"Hello Python." Andrius said as he stepped out from the trees behind him.

"Andrius…what are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you for help Python."

"My help?" Python was taken back by the request.

"Yes…in four days Orb will be transporting Metal Gear RAY to Heliopolis. I need help to hijack the transport shuttle when it gets into orbit. From there I intend to move RAY onto a transport ship before leaving the shuttle itself."

"You intend to steal RAY? Why?"

"Because I have no wish for Orb to keep Metal Gear RAY, especially after what they did to Fox. I sure you heard what happened from Otacon."

Python nodded his head "Yes I did."

"I don't intend to kill the crew, but instead I am thinking about tricking them into boarding the escape pods, inject a small amount of a sleeping gas agent into the air tanks which will knock them out long enough for us to move RAY onto the second transport ship before I self-destruct the shuttle."

"Sounds like a plan, but how are you going to pull if off?"

"During the flight we'll take the transponder and communications systems off line and then we'll shut off the self-destruct mechanism until we want to blow the ship up and finally we'll need to figure out how we're going to knock the crew out with sleeping gas without leaving any traces."

"It would be easier if we could lure them into the escape pods…inject the sleeping gas into the oxygen tanks."

"Ok that could work, but getting the crew to launch themselves away from the ship inside the escape pods without igniting a confrontation will be the hardest part."

"I can help you with." A new voice said as all eyes turned to see Nemo approaching the group. Nemo was spotting a white T-shirt with blue denim jeans and black shoes.

"Nemo, but…oh dumb question" Solidus said as he figured that Nemo probably somehow detected that he was in the area. "Exactly how could you help?"

"I can project an image, an illusion of shorts into the minds of the crew…if their numbers are small enough I can fool them all into thinking their ship is about to explode and scare them all into the escape pods." Nemo suggested as Solidus seemed intrigued by the idea.

"Can you do it?"

Suddenly Python and Solidus saw what appeared to be a giant horrible monster suddenly appearing behind Nemo, but it disappeared a moment later. "I can…all I need is a place where I can sit down and focus my mind without anyone interrupting me."

"Then there is still the matter of a ship we can use to transport Metal Gear RAY on."

"I think I can get us something from Char…then I guess you can pilot the ship."

"Me?" Python asked as he looked at Solidus.

"Yes…can you handle it?"

"No problem." Python replied with a smile.

"Then it's settled…once I work out some details I'll discuss the full plan with the rest of you tomorrow evening." Solidus said as he prepared to make his leave.

"What about Snake and Raiden?" Nemo asked.

"I rather not involve them in this…don't tell them what I am planning."

With those words Solidus left the two. Four days later George Char was sitting in his office as he was enjoying a cup of coffee in the privacy of his office until a pair of people entered his office. They were Representatives Koto Sahaku and Unato Seiran. Neither one of them seemed to be in a good mood.

"Gentlemen…what brings you to my office?" George said with a welcoming smile.

"Cut the small talk" Unato said angrily "the shuttle carrying Metal Gear RAY has gone down and the crew reports that a ZAFT ship attacked the vessel destroying it."

"But it seems the crew had time to escape." George pointed out.

"Yes, but that is beside the point. Our satellites didn't detect any ZAFT ships in the area, and when we dispatched recovery vessels to the area to recover those escape pods we found no traces of Metal Gear RAY. Only the wreckage from the shuttle carrying it…do you know anything about this?" Koto asked.

"I don't know what you are talking about…are you implying that I had something to do with this?"

"Maybe…Andrius hasn't been found at all today."

"Well I can't help you there…Andrius has been appearing and disappearing a lot lately ever since he returned from Shadow Moses…obviously the grief he has suffered after killing his own mentor must have been troubling him."

"Cut the crap." Koto shouted.

"Or what?" George said smoothly with an assuring smile on his face.

Both men seemed fed up with George before they turned around and left his office. Once they were gone, George was smiling as he took another slip from his cup.

In space, somewhere in the debris belt…aboard an old tender transport ship, Solidus was with Python and Nemo inside the hold where Metal Gear RAY was now resting. The theft of the machine went off without a hitch and no lives were lost. "Well we pulled it off…now where do we hide it?" Solidus said as he addressed the group.

"I don't know." Nemo said, but Python had an idea.

"I know about an old satellite adrift in the debris belt that might work as a good safe house and hiding place we can use for a while."

"Can you show us the way there?"

"Yes…I'll punch in the coordinates right now." Python said as he floated away. Solidus was about to leave, but Nemo grabbed onto the young man's arm.

"Nemo?"

"Solidus you are planning to go away somewhere by yourself are you…once we hide RAY."

"Yeah…I still can't hide anything from you."

"You damn right" Nemo answered as she looked up at Solidus's face with a pleading expression on it. Before Solidus knew it, Nemo wrapped her arms around Solidus's body as she began weeping "I don't want you to leave me…I am not safe anywhere because if the Alliance finds out that I am still alive they'll come looking for me. I am not safe anywhere, but near you is the only place I feel safe." Nemo said as she held Solidus's tightly and buried her head in-between his neck and his right shoulder.

"Nemo…" Solidus didn't know what else to say, but he wrapped his own arms around the woman and held her. Suddenly the young man felt an overflow of thoughts that were not his own pour into his mind. His heart began racing as he looked at Nemo who began looking into Solidus's eyes.

"I don't know how to say it, but these are my thoughts…the feelings I have for you. Do you understand why I don't want you to leave me?" Nemo asked as tears streamed down her face.

"Yes I do…ok you can stay with me." Solidus replied as he suddenly acted on impulse as he kissed Nemo. The woman was shocked at first, but soon returned the kiss with a passionate one.

Meanwhile at ZAFT's Carpentaria Base, Rau Le Creuset was sitting in an office in front of the desk having a video conversation with National Defense Chairman Zala. "Yes sir…all traces of Metal Gear NEO has been wiped off the map along with Shadow Moses. The Alliance didn't get the Neutron Jammer Canceller. I trust you have erased all possible connection we had to Shadow Moses on your end?"

"Yes I took care of it, but it's unfortunate that the nuclear attack wasn't carried out as planned."

"True sir, but I did manage to obtain the technical specifications to Metal Gear NEO at Shadow Moses along with some bits of information you'll find interesting once I return to the PLANTs to personally deliver the data."

"I see…I'll be looking forward to your return."

"Of course sir." Rau ended his conversation with Patrick. It was a moment later that a cell phone he was carrying began ringing. Rau drew the phone out from his pocket to answer it after listening to the voice on the other line he asked.

"Is this line secured?"

After a brief answer Rau spoke. "Good…Fox has accomplished her mission, Solidus is well on the way of becoming a new Big Boss and Orb will be receiving the Neutron Jammer Canceller Technology just as you wanted. Soon ZAFT and Orb will begin their own Metal Gear Development Programs. I have to admit you plan was very successful…only you could have orchestrated something like this."

After listening to the caller "Yes…Liquid is on his way to Orb to make the delivery…although the Alliance didn't get the Canceller I am sure Jibril will still be pleased with Azrael's reputation being tainted thus raising his chances to become a member of Logos's leadership along with assuming the position of leader of Blue Cosmos." Rau answered with a smile "Yes…I am afraid we were unable to get Uzumi's half of the Legacy…Fox was unable to find it apparently."

Rau stopped as the caller spoke to him again. "I see…well it's only a matter of time before you have both halves of the Legacy with RAY. Now that has been taken care of I can assume my usual post. I doubt there is nothing more you wish for me to do?" Suddenly the caller began talking to something that seemed to catching Rau's interest as he muttered "new experiment…S3 plan….the failure and the prototype." After a moment a smile appeared on Rau's face. "I see…how very intriguing. I'll help you with the project, but on one condition…I want him to be there when we set the project in motion." There was a short pause. "Yes that man's son so I can have another chance to face him. I want him there." The caller replied to Rau's request. "Thank you sir…I'll contact you again when we begin the project…yes of course…Ocelot." With that Rau hung up with phone as his face had a smile of great anticipation on it.

A/N: well we have come to the end…that is two stories finished in one day. (Starts dancing around) I would like to thank everyone who has read this fic and those who reviewed it. Although it didn't turn out as I wanted, but this fic was an experiment to test the possibility of a MGS crossover with GS. I'll do a sequel in a little while after I put some time into some of my other fics first. Thanks again everyone.


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